


folie à deux

by changbins



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Angst with a Happy Ending, But He Gets Better, Enemies to Lovers, Fluffy Moments, M/M, Minor Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, bang chan is an asshole, bar owner bang chan, bartender han jisung, binsung are useless gays, bouncer seo changbin, changbin and chan were best friends, changbin is also kind of an asshole at first, felix is just vibing, han jisung absolute sweetie pie, manswers, minho is seungmins and jeongins MOM, toxic chansung
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changbins/pseuds/changbins
Summary: Han Jisung can charm every man in Seoul, and Seo Changbin is getting sick of it.or the enemies to lovers bouncer/bartender au that one person asked for
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 24
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> what's up i haven't posted anything in two years :) if there's any fic of mine i'm glad to make a comeback with, it's this one, though. my girlfriend helped me out with this and frankly this whole thing is for her so follow her on twitter @chae1z hehe

Bright lights bounced off of every surface on the busy nighttime streets of Seoul. It was no secret that the nightlife thrived in South Korea more than any other country, and that night was no different. People filled the streets from every direction, dressed in their best clothing appropriate for having a good time yet still impressing all those around them. Outside of one particular bar, two teenage boys stood in line, anxiously waiting to get to the front. Well, one of them was anxious. 

“I don’t know about this, Seungmin. I’ve never used a fake ID before and honestly I don’t know if I wanna start now,” the younger of the pair said with his eyes trained directly on the card he held in his hands. His eyes widened as they landed on a detail he’d missed in the once-over he’d given the ID when his friend first gave it to him. “Dude! This says I’m six foot one, you know damn well that I’m five nine on a good day and today — ” he gestured down at his Vans — “is not one of those days!” 

Seungmin brought a harsh finger to his friend’s lips. “Would you shut up? God, it’s like you  _ want  _ us to get caught. Is that it? Is that what you want?” He waited for the younger boy to shake his head before dropping his hand back down to his side. “Then grow a pair and use your inside voice. And quit calling me by my real name, tonight you’re not Jeongin, and I’m not Seungmin, got it?” he whispered. Jeongin pouted and crossed his arms, a look of concern still very clearly plastered on his face. As annoyed as he was that the younger boy was basically undermining his plan, Seungmin couldn’t help but feel bad for getting in his face like that. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the people behind them were still having their own conversation before leaning towards Jeongin again. “Hey, don’t worry. All they’re looking for is your birthday. Plus, with this many people in line I doubt they’ll give anything too much thought, they’re probably just counting on everyone who actually is old enough to give up their IDs without a moment’s doubt. So just, be confident, that’s all you have to do.” 

Jeongin brushed Seungmin’s hand off of his shoulder, alerting the latter who hadn’t even realized he’d put it there. “Yeah, whatever. The sooner we get through the sooner I can get back home,” Jeongin muttered as they shuffled forward another inch. 

Two groups of people separated the pair from the bouncer at the door, who had been eyeing them ever since they came into his line of sight. He held up a hand to stop the group in front of him from handing over their IDs, then with his other hand gestured for someone to come over from inside. “Sorry, nothing about you guys, just a . . . formality,” he said to avoid causing any problems with the guests. A glance back inside told him that his coworker hadn’t noticed his beckoning call, so he cleared his throat and poked his head inside a bit before whisper-yelling, “Minho!” 

A moment later another employee appeared, dressed in the same all black outfit that the bouncer had on. “What? Can’t you see I’m busy?” he all but shouted. 

“Yeah, shut up about that for a second. What do you think I should do about these two?” The bouncer nodded in the direction of Seungmin and Jeongin, now standing in line wordlessly. Minho scoffed.

“Oh yeah, they’re definitely 12.” He made no effort to conceal his voice, causing a few of the guests who were next in line to glance behind them. “Alright, let me handle it,” he sighed. 

“Wha—are you telling me to let them in?” 

“Come on, Changbin, they’re obviously new to this, the last thing they need is an oddly short yet scary man to threaten them when it’s their first time using fakes. Let them live a little, let them feel the excitement of knowing their plan worked only to have it snatched away mere seconds later.” A devilish grin creeped onto Minho’s face, to which Changbin responded by raising an eyebrow.

“Are you sure  _ I’m  _ the scary one?” 

The elder gasped before sneering and delivering a harmless blow to Changbin’s shoulder. “Get back to work,” he grumbled before turning to walk back inside. 

Minho watched eagerly as the next two groups of people were allowed in, leaving the two rascals to show Changbin what they were made of. One of them was taller than the other, with red hair that gave Minho the impression he was the one in charge. He handed Changbin his ID without hesitating, but Minho could see when he reached behind his friend and pinched his back to urge him on. Changbin threw Minho one last look as if to say  _ I’m not taking the hit for this,  _ then let the boys in. 

They maintained their composure as they walked in, but as soon as they were a few feet away from the door the younger nearly yelled, “Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked!” Seungmin smacked him just as Minho sauntered over to them. 

“Evening, gentlemen. Could I please see your IDs?” He was having a really hard time keeping himself from jumping up and down with excitement. Sure, they’d handled minors trying to sneak in before, but Minho would usually just let Changbin reject them with a dirty look and some choice words. For some reason he just couldn’t let these two go that easy, something told him it would be worthwhile to have a little fun of his own with them. 

“Uhh, we just gave that guy our IDs, though,” the red-haired boy said, clearly having not expected this hitch in his plan. The small one looked at him then back at Minho, nodding in agreement.

Minho gave them a sickeningly sweet smile. “It’s just a formality. We’ve had a high amount of minors trying to sneak in lately, we just want to make sure we’re operating a safe, legal business here. So, IDs?” 

The boys sighed and handed the plastic cards over. From the look on the redhead’s face, he knew it was over for them. For a moment Minho felt bad. It wasn’t like he didn’t empathize with these kids. Hell, he had used a fake for the last few years he was a minor himself. If anything, he felt like he had to protect these impressionable kids from the shit that went down in their bar. Well, that alongside the fact that Chan would probably rip him a new one if he found out something happened at the bar that could get them shut down. Something like, letting minors in, for example. 

Their IDs were pretty convincing, he had to give them that. They felt and looked identical to his own ID, down to the official seal. Minho was impressed to see that according to their dates of birth, they were only 21 and 20 years old. Clearly they were smart enough to stick to something that was at least a little believable given their appearances, something Minho hadn’t expected. Maybe they weren’t the clueless teens that he’d taken them for at first. Just as he was about to hand the cards back to them and politely escort them out he noticed something he hadn’t seen before. He brought a hand up to his mouth to help him stifle a laugh to no avail. 

“What?” The redhead barked. 

“Sorry, I just. What are your names? Your  _ actual  _ names.” 

“Why? Are you gonna report us?” the smaller one asked with glassy eyes. 

“No, I just feel like I need to be able to address you guys by name for this.” 

The two boys looked at each other like they were trying to have a telepathic conversation, and a very heated one at that. Before Minho could stop them, the redhead turned to him and said, “I’m Seungmin and this is Jeongin.” The latter had an exasperated look on his face which made it obvious that he had lost that argument. 

Trying to regain his composure, Minho cleared his throat and ditched the smile. “Seungmin. Jeongin. I’ll have you know one thing. You see that guy back there?” He pointed at Changbin with their IDs. “He’s short, right? Seungmin I noticed you kinda tower over him, in fact you’re even taller than me, you’re a decently tall kid.” By that point Seungmin looked about ready to keel over and die. Jeongin, on the other hand, seemed amused by the whole situation, his arms crossed and a smirk aimed at Seungmin that didn’t really look all that intimidating but at least he was trying. “What you are not,” Minho said, “is a six foot five kid. And Jeongin,” he turned to the younger, snapping him out of his arrogant posture, “we are clearly the same height. Now, the reason I brought up Changbin, the bouncer who let you in, is because he’s five six. I’m five eight, and I don’t care how much taller than me you are, Seungmin, you are  _ not  _ six feet tall, let alone another five inches on top of that.” 

“Okay, I get it, it was a dumb oversight on my part.” Seungmin rolled his eyes and started to turn around and leave, but Minho latched onto both him and Jeongin, throwing his arms around their shoulders. 

“Let’s talk about oversights, outside.” 

Over at the bar, a crowd was beginning to form around one bartender. “Hey Jisung,” said the regulars with a certain lilt to their voice that made it seem like they thought they were better than the other customers who didn’t know the bartender’s name. It didn’t gain them anything though, their calls blending in with the equally as loud “Hey cutie,” that he also got. Jisung was known to pay special attention to all of his customers, but it wasn’t like that was the only reason he was popular. No, his good-boy looks and strikingly unique makeup did the trick just as well. And everyone was eating it up tonight. 

“Y’all see that?” he said while pointing with a dainty finger as Minho escorted the two minors out. “Minho is so harsh on kids, why not let them live a little?” Jisung slouched down and rested his chin in the palm of his hand, driving the crowd even crazier with his pout. “Oh well! Who wants another round?” 

At the other end of the counter, Jisung’s fellow bartender, Felix watched on as a dozen men practically threw their money at the small boy. “Yeesh,” he turned towards the man sitting at the bar in front of him, “get a load of those schmucks.” The man chuckled and shook the ice cubes in his glass around.

“A bloody mary? Ugh, those are so good, I’m gonna have to make one for myself, too, hold on.” Jisung flashed a smile at the person who had just ordered then turned to grab the ingredients. Felix decided to take the moment to mess with him a little, it was the least he could do besides sit around and watch Jisung charm a million men just by breathing. “Hey, Lix, how’s it goin’ over there?” Jisung said when he noticed his coworker approaching him. 

“Oh, you know, same old same old. I’ve taken like two orders in the past ten minutes.” Jisung raised an eyebrow at him as he always did whenever Felix teased him about his work ethic. 

“Well if you want I can send some of them over to you, don’t think I haven’t caught some of them eyeing you from time to time. I’m jealous, really, you’ve become a real competitor for me.” He smirked while pouring the mixture of vodka and tomato juice into two glasses. 

“Yeah right, I don’t put a dent in the amount of people that come here to see you. And you know why?” 

Jisung nodded for him to continue.

“I don’t lie about liking every drink they order.” 

“I—Whatever, get back to work!” 

Felix laughed a little then walked back over to his side. By the time he looked back at Jisung, he was already lost in the crowd of his admirers again, pretending the reason he was grimacing after taking a sip of the bloody mary was because of the vodka. Felix knew better than anyone that he could throw back shots of the stuff like it was water, but then again what Jisung did to win over his customers was none of his business. Well, sometimes. 

“Hey, can I just get a beer?” a man asked Felix. It caught him off guard, he’d been stuck in his thoughts for so long that he hadn’t noticed the guy approach him. He nodded a little too enthusiastically and turned to grab a beer out of the fridge. 

“Oh, uh, what kind?” 

“Surprise me.” 

Felix hated when they said that. It was like, if they came up to the bar shouldn’t they have an idea of what they want? Unfortunately for him, it happened more often than not. Doing his best to suppress his eye roll he turned and put a mug under the spout. As he did he noticed Chan descending the stairs. It was the first time he’d come out of his office all night. Once he reached the last step he made direct eye contact with Felix and went straight to the bar, placing his hand on the small of Jisung’s back as he passed behind him. The evident blush on Jisung’s face was definitely not a result of his own makeup.

Felix felt something cool cover his hand and found when he looked down that he had overfilled the mug. “Oh shit,” he muttered just as Chan reached him. 

“Woah. Got a little distracted there, huh?” he said, taking a cautious step back. Felix let out an apologetic chuckle and grabbed a washcloth from the counter to dry the sides of the mug. Chan kept his eyes trained on him as he handed the beer to the customer with a polite “Sorry about the wait.” 

“Hey, what’s up?” Felix asked. 

“Yeah. Listen, how many drinks have you made tonight?”

“It’s funny you should ask, actually I was just telling Jisung about that. I’d say about . . . 40 to 50? That sounds right.”

Chan bit down on his lower lip. “Mm, okay. Felix, don’t you want to attract more customers? I mean”—he pointed over his back at Jisung— “You’re kind of leaving all of the work to Jisung, don’t ya think?”

“Oh. I mean, yeah, I guess that makes sense—”

“Right. It does.” Chan sighed. “Look, if you ask me, I think you’d have a lot more . . . I don’t know,  _ appeal _ , if you smiled a little more. You’ve got a good smile, might as well put it to use, am I right?” As if to emphasize his point, Chan smiled at him. He patted Felix on the shoulder and walked away, leaving his employee dazed. 

Chan gave the whole bar a once over to make sure nothing was getting out of hand. Sure, he had hired Minho to do that for him, but as of late he felt like he couldn’t trust him to do his job. Once he decided that everything was in order, he got back on track and stepped outside to join Changbin.

“Oh man, it’s nice as hell out here. I was suffocating in my office. How’s it feel to you?” He looked around at the surrounding buildings before settling on Changbin’s face.

The bouncer didn’t look back at him. “I’m not exactly taking a stroll on an evening in fall, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said as he checked two more IDs. “Why are you out here, Chan?”

“Didn’t I just say why? It was a thousand degrees in there. I don’t see why you’re not enjoying this weather.”

Changbin nearly gawked at him but held back. “It’s winter,” he pointed out. 

“You’re in a sweater. Besides, all that muscle must be good for keeping you warm.” Chan took a look at the line and whistled. “Now that’s what I like to see. Hey, remember when you said you’d take this job just because it wouldn’t be that much work? Bet you’re eating your words right about now,” he gloated. Changbin flinched when Chan put an arm around his shoulders. “I told you we’d be a huge tourist trap.”

“What? You never said that.”

“Changbin, Changbin, Changbin—”

“Don’t do that. You’ve literally never said anything about wanting to be a tourist attraction.” Changbin looked away to let another group in and muttered, “At least not until recently.” 

“Hey. Life is all about business, alright? And I’ve got a really good one on my hands.” Chan turned them so they were looking towards the bar, ignoring Changbin’s protests that he had more people in line. “Man, he’s the best thing to happen to this place. It’s like he’s a magnet, Changbin, a magnet for desperate dudes who crave attention. He’s feeding them from the palm of his hand.” Chan didn’t have to say a name for it to be clear who he was talking about. 

Changbin shrugged him off and went back to taking IDs. 

Come closing time, Chan was still outside with Changbin, much to the latter’s dismay. He had said it was because he wanted to stay in the fresh air, but Changbin knew he was just there to watch him, make sure he was doing his job. It wasn’t like he had any reason not to. 

“Hey, I just finished my rounds, there’s no one left inside,” said Minho when he came bounding up to them. 

“Perfect, you guys can get out of here then,” Chan replied. “Especially you, Changbin. Go get some sleep, you seem awfully pissy.” 

By the time he made it to the back room, everyone else was gone. Changbin got his stuff out of his locker quickly then looked over the room one more time before turning off the lights. There was one bag left on the small table next to their lockers, decorated with Doraemon pins. 

He turned the light off and shut the door behind him. 

* * *

Changbin and Chan met when they were in college. The odds were stacked against them becoming friends, they were two different personalities from two different groups of people with very different goals. The only thing that brought them together was their business class, which Changbin hadn’t even wanted to take. His father had forced him into it, and if he wanted his college tuition paid for he had to pretend that that was the kind of thing he wanted to do with his life. Chan, on the other hand, wanted to be there. It went without saying that Changbin was surprised when a popular sophomore chose to sit next to him, a quiet freshman. What was even more surprising was how quickly they hit it off. Chan had dreams of becoming a CEO, any kind of CEO. Changbin wanted nothing more than to share his art with the world, and Chan emphatized with him, told him he thought there was no better thing to do with one’s life. Looking back, Changbin wasn’t sure if he really meant any of it or if he had just said it because he knew it was what Changbin wanted to hear.

The year between Chan’s graduation and Changbin’s graduation was supposed to be used by Chan to get some sort of startup for the two of them. Somehow he had convinced Changbin to join him on his adventure to the top, and so it was no surprise when he came to get him the night of his graduation. He’d had no party, so Chan told him he wanted to take him out for a couple of drinks and Changbin instantly knew where things were going.

They ended up at a fairly populated bar in Hongdae, sitting at a booth and clinking together their mugs of beer. The drink refreshed them and seemed to instantly take a load off of their shoulders. 

“It feels better when you’re celebrating something, don’t you think?” Chan asked.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” replied the other, eyeing his mug in appreciation. 

“Alright you alcoholic, I meant the energy in here. The people, the music, the vibes—”

“Don’t ever say that word again.”

“—they’re exquisite!” They both laughed when he finished his sentence. “I’m serious, though. It’s nice to be in such an energetic environment when you’ve got something to be happy about, don’t you think?”   
  


Changbin nodded in agreement before taking another sip. 

“It’d be nice to be surrounded by that feeling all the time.” The way Chan’s voice lifted at the end of that sentence made it obvious that he was trying to suggest something, paired with the way he went from watching the foam on his beer to meeting Changbin’s eyes. 

“. . .Yeah, that would be pretty cool. Maybe we should come here more often,” he offered. 

Chan laughed shortly. “Well, I was thinking about a more direct course of action.” 

“Like?”

There was a brief silence between them, which gave Changbin time to process the various sounds in his vicinity. The laughter from the next booth over, the music playing from a speaker that was a little ways away from them, making it sound slightly muffled. He focused on Chan’s face as he began to look for the telltale signs that he was trying to find a way to tell him something without upsetting him. The furrowed brows, the averted gaze, and the slight tilt of his head were some of the few. He had done it a lot while they were in class together as Changbin recalled. 

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe like . . . opening a place like this?” The noise of the bar seemed drowned out now, Changbin’s ears trained on Chan’s voice. “Maybe not just like this, but something similar. Just, a bar, y’know?”

“Is that something you’ve been thinking about?” Changbin guessed.

“More than just thought about it, actually.”

“What are you saying?”   
  


The look on Chan’s face said it all. He looked excited yet nervous at the same time, clearly worried that one bad reaction from Changbin could strike his entire demeanor down. 

“No way,” Changbin leaned back, slumping down somewhat. “You already got a place, didn’t you? That’s the arrangement you made while I was finishing school?”

From his tone of voice it was hard to tell whether he was pleased or nothing of the sort. Chan thought about the best way to present his idea before continuing. “I know it sounds like an impulse thing and I definitely should’ve asked you about it first but . . . God, I don’t know, dude. It just sounded like a really good idea at the time and honestly I don’t feel any different about it now,” he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Okay,” Changbin put his hands up in defense. “That’s fine. Where do  _ I  _ come into the picture, though? I’m not exactly gonna get my name out there by wiping down tables and countertops now, am I?” 

“No, not at all, that’s not what I had in mind for you.”

“Then what did you?”

Chan sighed and took a large gulp of his beer. “A bouncer,” he finally said. “I thought that maybe, just for a little while, you could be the bouncer.”

The younger scoffed. “Bouncer? What, you mean like those guys who stand outside all night and tell people when they can and can’t come in? Yeah, right. I’m better off getting a corporate job at my dad’s place.”

“You’re not, though.” Chan leaned forward to make up for the space created between them when Changbin moved back. “Look, it’d just be a temporary thing. Bouncers are hard to find and you’re the strongest guy I know, besides myself, that is.”

Changbin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, get to your point.”

“Once we’ve got a more steady client base and the money is coming in, I’ll get a new bouncer and you—” he reached out and poked Changbin’s chest “—can start sharing that talent of yours.”

Chan sat back, the smug grin on his face making Changbin want to ditch the whole thing. He couldn’t do it, though, not when he was presented with an opportunity like that. Being a bar’s main act would get his name out there for sure, and he’d really get to become more accustomed to performing in front of new faces every night. And all it would take was a few months of standing around and being an asshole? Changbin figured it was worth it. 

“Alright. Fine, I’ll do it. But only because you’ll be paying me to stand around and do nothing.” 

Chan beamed at him. He raised his glass and they made a quick toast to their business deal. “You won’t regret it, man.”

“Whatever. What’s the place like? Was it expensive?”   
  


“Not really, actually. I got my dad to chip in a little but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. That being said, it is a bit of a fixer-upper.”

“Ah, there it is.”

“What?”

“That’s the catch, we gotta fix this place. Do I look like I’m cut out for manual labor?”

“Frankly, yes, your arms are the size of a newborn baby.”   
  


“And that’s exactly what they are, my babies, I can’t put them through that kind of strenuous activity.” Changbin flexed and eyed his biceps lovingly. 

The blond groaned but was unable to hide the smile on his face. “If I let you stay out of the fixing part will you promise to never refer to them as your babies again? At least not in front of me.”   
  


Changbin pondered it for a moment. “Deal.” He smiled and brought his mug up to his mouth but stopped as something crossed his mind. “Hey, wait. What are you gonna do about a bartender? Because you know better than anyone all those drinks I made in college sucked,” he chuckled. 

“Oof, yeah, don’t worry about that. I’ve actually got it covered. But enough about that. You’ve still got a whole night as a grad ahead of you,” Chan said before flagging a waitress down and ordering two more rounds. 

* * *

“1, 2, 3, cut!” 

The thin, red piece of fabric fell from the door handles and fluttered down to the ground once Changbin snipped it in half with the pair of scissors Chan had handed him. He watched it for a moment as it sat there at his feet, ignoring the cheers coming from the two people on either side of him. 

“Come on, I wanna see the inside!” The younger blue-haired boy exclaimed. He took Chan’s hand and dragged him inside, the latter motioning for Changbin to follow them in. It was the first time they’d be getting a look at the newly refurbished bar, yet Changbin couldn’t find much reason to be excited about it. Not even cutting the makeshift ribbon— which Chan had insisted he do, something about opening the doors he’d be guarding— had made him feel anything. He let out a sigh as he forced one foot to move in front of the other, marching him into the bar against his better wishes. 

Chan was the one who got Jisung to join them. He wasn’t very clear on the details about where he met him, but Changbin knew one thing: he was younger than them. That in and of itself wasn’t a problem. No, it was more about the fact that he was only 17. Not of age to enter a bar and most definitely not of age to work in one. Yet Chan had insisted, promising Changbin that he’d handle everything, make sure it was “swept under the rug.” That was also the extent of what Chan told him. It seemed like he’d been making a lot of decisions without Changbin lately. After all, that was how he got there in the first place, wasn’t it? 

Jisung was already behind the bar when Changbin got inside, Chan sitting on a stool directly across from him. He was going on about how much space he had back there and how fun it would be to mix drinks in such a cool environment. That was another thing Changbin had no context for, why Jisung knew as much about mixology as he did. He could make a lot of drinks, and was only learning to make more by the day. At first it seemed like Chan had just chosen the first person with a knowledge of making cocktails that he met, but after spending some time with him Changbin could see that there was a bit more to it than that.

“Oh, hey, let me show you something,” Chan said when he noticed Changbin walking up to him. “Jisung you can stay here and get accustomed to your workspace, alright?” He smiled and winked at the boy before turning back to Changbin and starting towards the stairs, the latter having no choice but to follow him. When they came to the landing Changbin saw two doors, one directly across the stairs and one perpendicular to them. Chan pulled out a key ring and opened the second door, revealing a room about the size of a small bedroom. As he walked in he saw a dark wooden desk in the corner farthest from the door, along with a matching chair. “What do you think? I’m gonna totally deck this place out, LED lights, movie posters. Cool shit like that.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool,” Changbin mumbled. He ran his hand along the wall, feeling the smooth painted plaster cool his fingertips. His and Chan’s footsteps echoed in the nearly empty room, loud against the hardwood floors. 

“This is where I’ll be spending my time, doing boss stuff.” The blond smiled as he looked around in adoration. “You can come hang out here whenever you want, y’know. Just as long as you’re not interrupting your shit, right?” He laughed and lightly pushed Changbin. His laugh died away when he noticed the visible displeasure on his friend’s face. “Hey, what’s the matter? You’re not into it?”   
  


Changbin shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I was just . . . I don’t know, thinking.” 

“About?”

The younger glanced out the door, checking to see if Jisung was by the stairs. He wasn’t, but Changbin shut the door anyway. “Don’t you think he’s a little too young, Chan?” 

“Ugh, come on, not this again. I told you I’d handle that, so—”   
  


“No, that’s not what I mean.”   
  


Chan eyed him suspiciously. “Then what  _ do  _ you mean?”

They stared at each other for a second, challenging each other. It was clear that neither was going to back down, so Changbin decided he’d give in and opted to look out the window instead. “He’s a little too young for  _ you, _ ” he sighed. Without looking he knew that Chan was physically taken aback by his comment. 

‘What exactly are you trying to say?” Chan scoffed, but Changbin knew he had struck a nerve.

“You know.” 

“Okay, yeah, I do. So what, you’re calling me a, a . . . a child predator? I mean what the fuck are you trying to accuse me of here, dude?”

“Nothing. I’m not  _ accusing  _ you of anything,” Changbin asserted, going back to his previous position, this time merely inches away from Chan. “I’m trying to protect you, man, I’m  _ warning  _ you. I’ve seen the way you look at him and it does not look good for you, trust me. If it were anyone else your ass would already be halfway to the police station but it’s not, it’s me, and I’d rather not see you behind bars.” He poked Chan’s chest, making him stumble back a little. The way he was looking at Changbin made him feel guilty for a second, but he made sure to maintain his composure. “Look,” he added, “I just think you should be careful. You’ve been acting really different since you started bringing him around and it’s concerning.” Changbin shook his head and let out a strangled chuckle as he lowered his gaze. “It seems like these days you’re more concerned with Jisung and this bar and . . . I don’t know, it feels like you haven’t found the time to sit back and be my friend.” His hand found the doorknob and he turned it, only to find Jisung standing right outside, his hand raised in a fist as if he was about to knock. 

“Oh, hi. I just wanted to talk to Chan about something,” the boy said, eyes darting between the two.

Changbin scoffed. “He’s all yours,” he said before shoving past Jisung and making his way out of the bar. It wasn’t until he made it to his apartment that he looked at the messages he had from Chan.

chanathan: hey, i thought about what you said

chanathan: you’re right, i was getting ahead of myself

chanathan: i know this isnt what you wanna hear but im not letting jisung go. i’ll chill out on the whole going after him thing but i still think he’s going to be an essential part of the bar

chanathan: and so are you. hope u still know youve got a good-paying job waiting for you here <3

Changbin couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the emoji. Chan always used them in such a way that it felt like he was being ironic, but he most definitely wasn’t. Changbin didn’t bother typing out a response, he knew that Chan would know he’d read them. Chan knew him well. He tossed his phone onto the couch and headed straight for the bathroom, desperate to take a much-needed shower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if people like chapters that are this long but for my sake i hope they do bc this one is longer than the last. sorry if that's not your thing lmao

Changbin stared down at the check in his hands. From an angle of convenience, sure, it sucked that Chan wouldn’t commit to a direct deposit system. What added insult to injury was that now Changbin had to be reminded every two weeks of how little he actually earned. 

In the two years since the bar’s opening, some things had changed. For one, Jisung officially became a legal adult, which meant that whatever restraint Chan had over himself before had gone straight out the window. He had made it a point to not advertise Jisung as much when he was a minor, just in case someone started “sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong,” as Chan had put it, but now that everything was legal the bar’s main selling point was basically “Come flirt with our adorable bartender, he’ll do anything for you!” Changbin was nonetheless confused about how Chan could be so into Jisung yet still sell the boy’s cuteness.

What had also changed was the way Chan treated Changbin, as well as the other employees. Never before had Changbin felt so disrespected as when he was called into Chan’s office for their weekly “meetings,” held every Friday because it was their busiest day. All Chan did was criticize their work ethic, though from what Changbin had heard, Jisung got nothing but compliments.

Today was the first day that he and Jisung had ever been called into a meeting together. 

“Earth to Changbin,” said Chan. “You can think about what you’re gonna do with your paycheck later, if you don’t mind. I’m trying to hold a meeting here.” 

Changbin said nothing, folding the check in half and sliding it into the pocket of his black denim jacket. He did everything in his power to avoid snapping at Jisung for staring holes into the side of his head. 

“Thank you. Now, as I was saying, it’s Friday, and as you guys know we tend to get a lot of traffic in here on Fridays. I just wanted to go over what I expect from you today.” Chan was sitting in his big leather chair, rotating slowly from side to side with his hands folded in his lap. He looked relaxed, like he was enjoying a movie from the comfort of his living room sofa. Changbin figured watching the expressions on their faces as he prepared to tear their entire work ethic apart was just as enjoyable as a movie to Chan, so he did his best to not emote. Though at that point it wasn’t even like he had to try. “Jisung,” Chan continued, flashing a charismatic smile at the blue-haired boy sitting across from him. “You’ve been doing great, as always, honey. Just keep on doing what you do best and I’m sure you’ll make me proud.”

Jisung shifted in his seat, a pink hue lightly coloring his cheeks. “Thanks, Chan,” he replied sheepishly. 

“And Changbin.”

_ Oh brother, here it comes,  _ Changbin thought. 

“I know it gets cold out there in the winter but hey, that jacket you’ve got on looks pretty warm, plus you always wear a sweater.”

_ Ah, yes, I know how to dress accordingly to the seasons. Doesn’t mean I want to stand in Jack Frost’s asshole all night. _

“You’ve got no reason to complain, really. I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe just don’t look so grumpy all the time. You’re the first face customers see when they approach the bar, so it’s not exactly good for business if you don’t look welcoming,” Chan said. 

Changbin stood up, completely unable and unwilling to play along with Chan’s charade anymore. “Welcoming, huh? A welcoming bouncer . . . You know what, Chan, I’ll do you one better. I’ll smile at everyone who so much as  _ blinks  _ in my direction and tell them they look  _ so _ good tonight. Hell, I won’t even ask for their IDs, I’ll just let them right in and tell them they’re welcome anytime, because that’s what bouncers do,” he sassed not only as a response to Chan’s request, but also as a light jab towards Jisung, who looked from Changbin to Chan in shock. “This was a great meeting but I really should get going, I’ve gotta prepare if I want to butter up all our customers.” Changbin scowled at both of them as he turned to grab the doorknob. 

“Wait a minute, you’re not leaving. Jisung, you can go. I’m going to need a word in private with my best friend here,” Chan said, putting emphasis on  _ best friend.  _ Rather than reminding him of what they were, Changbin associated the term with arguments just like the one they were about to have. 

Jisung rose from his seat, glancing at Changbin like he had a third eye sprouting in the middle of his forehead on his way out. 

“Have a seat, Changbin.”

“I’d rather stand, thanks, I’ve gotten pretty used to it after two years of getting paid less than minimum wage to do so.”

Chan rolled his chair forward, coming to a halt when he could rest his elbows on the desk in front of him. “If it’s a raise you want, we can arrange that.”

“God, would you stop talking like that? ‘Have a seat, Changbin. That can be arranged, Changbin.’ It’s all bullshit, you’re no more my boss than I am your lowlife employee looking to suck up to you so I can climb up the corporate ladder. You’ve forgotten who and what you are, Chan. Take a look around you!” Changbin exclaimed as he held his arms out to either side. “This is a dive bar! You sit up here like you’re the CEO of some billion-dollar company, yet all you are is the owner of a shitty bar where broke college kids and lonely men show up regularly so they can see your little boytoy.” He paused to catch his breath and stared Chan down, a fire very clearly having been started in the latter’s eyes. “Quit the act,” Changbin added quietly. “I know exactly who you are.” 

He exited the office, shutting the door behind him and quickly going down the stairs. Jisung was standing at the bottom watching Changbin descend. 

“Hey, what was all that about?” he asked just as Changbin’s feet touched the bottom floor. 

The older boy paused to think. He had forgotten that he had basically insulted Jisung’s work ethic to his face. To be quite frank, it hadn’t been his main concern at the time, more like a coincidental two-birds-with-one-stone type of thing. 

Changbin turned on his heel to face Jisung. “Sorry?” 

“Oh, don’t play dumb, you know what I mean. That side comment about how I treat customers, I understood all of that. Just how stupid do you think I am?” 

A chuckle escaped past Changbin’s lips with him making no effort to hide it once it was out there. “I don’t think you want me to answer that,  _ honey, _ ” he said, his voice dripping with mockery. 

“What’s your problem with me, man? I’ve never done anything to you yet you always ignore me and treat me like a bug flying around your head. Why do you hate me?” 

“Don’t worry about that, I don’t care enough about you to hate you. I just think you’re a nuisance who’s made his way through life solely by charming every person in a position of power that he encountered. What did you do to Chan, huh? Promise to fuck him once you turned 20?” 

Jisung’s jaw dropped. “Ex _ cuse  _ me?”

“Or did you give it up to him when you met by lying about your age then threatening to report him if he didn’t let you work here?” Changbin interjected, already on a roll. “Well, go on, tell me! Have you fucked him yet, Jisung?” 

“What the fuck are you saying?! Absolutely not, who do you think you are?!” That familiar pink tint was coming back to Jisung’s face, though this time it went past rosy and straight to fire-hydrant red, all the way to the tips of his ears. Changbin would’ve normally made some joke about Jisung looking like he was about to blow steam from his nostrils, but he was far too caught in the moment.

“Then let me be the first to invite you to do so. Maybe once he gets his dick wet he’ll stop treating the rest of us like shit,” Changbin spat before storming outside. He needed more than ever to feel the cool evening air hit his irritated skin.

Jisung stood in place, completely taken aback by what had just happened. Tears began to fill his eyes but he shook them away, refusing to let Changbin’s words have any impact on him. He knew that the older had a problem with him, it was clear from the very first day they’d met. He’d never said anything like that to him, though. In fact, no one had ever said anything like that to him, he couldn’t believe such accusations could come from anyone directed towards him.

Jisung went behind the bar and poured out a shot for himself. He wasn’t really supposed to drink on the job but tonight would be too much for him to handle sober. As the liquor slid down his throat his eyes widened and he felt like a lightbulb had just gone off above his head. If Changbin thought he’d seen the full extent of Jisung’s charm before, he had no idea what was coming next. 

* * *

The sky was overcast and dark, very fitting considering the mood Changbin was in. The nighttime breeze had felt good for about five minutes, then it went right back to periodically chilling him down to the bone. His eyes continuously went in and out of focus of the large red sign above the door that read “Zone.” That had been Chan’s idea, of course. He probably hadn’t even heard when Changbin told him it was a dumb name. Not that it would have mattered, Changbin didn’t find out about the name until the order for the sign had been placed.

“Um, hey? Excuse me?” 

Changbin was pulled out of his thoughts for the second time that evening, this time by a young couple waiting to enter the bar. 

“Oh, sorry,” he said while speedily taking their IDs. “You guys can go right in.” He smiled politely at them, as he always did with every customer. Though if you asked Chan, Changbin probably spat in everyone’s faces and told them to fuck off even while letting them in. 

It was rare for Changbin to ever really get a break on Friday nights, but in the short moments where there’d be no one standing in line, he had a lot of time to think. Usually his thoughts were a lot more mild and introspective. Tonight all that was on his mind was the look on Jisung’s face when they’d argued. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he’d seen him start to cry. A pang of guilt hit him in the chest, which he quickly brushed off as he chose to focus on the new wave of customers getting in line. 

Changbin began to notice after letting a few more people in that a buzz was beginning to form inside the bar. He was used to the commotion that Jisung always stirred up but he’d never heard something quite as hectic-sounding. 

He refused to look inside. 

Despite his best efforts to ignore any and all intriguing sounds coming from inside, it was all in vain, because out came Minho ready to distract him. 

“Dude, are you seeing this? Jisung’s really going the extra mile tonight,” said Minho, keeping his eyes towards the bar at all times. 

“Don’t you have a job to do?” Changbin replied with a long exhale. He gave the last group of four people the green-light then looked at Minho.

“I would if it wasn’t for the fact that practically everyone is crowding around the bar. There’s nothing for me  _ to  _ do.”

Changbin mulled it over for a second before giving in. He’d only look for a second, for sure. 

There at the bar stood Jisung, with the hand of a complete stranger cradling his cheek. His own hand rested on top of the other person’s and he was making complete eye contact with them, smiling and saying something to him. Changbin stiffened up, stuck with no other option but to watch and see what would happen next. 

“He must have had something to drink. There’s no way he’d let a customer touch him otherwise,” Minho noted. He brought his hand up to his chin and squinted, focusing on Jisung with extreme precision. 

Jisung himself was having the time of his life, seemingly. His eyes brightened as an idea came to him. “Do you guys wanna see something fun?” 

The crowd let out a unanimous noise of assent. 

“Great,” Jisung smiled. “Let me just get my friend to help me.” He walked over to the other side of the bar and grabbed Felix by the wrist. “Y’all don’t mind if I borrow him for a second, right? Awesome, thanks,” he said to the customers Felix had been tending to. It seemed like he was pretty certain they’d have no problem with their bartender being snatched away. 

“What are you doing?” Felix asked.

“You’ll see, it’ll be fun!” Jisung insisted, dragging Felix back to his side of the bar. “Alright guys, this is my friend, Felix, everyone say hi to him,” he instructed with his arm around his coworker. Some people greeted Felix, but others seemed more concerned with whatever it was they were going to do next.

Jisung disappeared under the counter for a moment then resurfaced with a box of something Felix couldn’t quite see since his hand was covering the label. If he wasn’t mistaken though, it looked like . . .

“We’re gonna play a quick round of the Pepero game!” 

It felt like everyone was either watching or listening in at that point. Felix let out a nervous chuckle before tugging Jisung’s sleeve and whispering, “Why are we doing this, exactly?”

Jisung blinked at him. “Just for fun, I guess. You don’t have to if you really don’t want to.”

Felix looked from Jisung to the expectant crowd and sighed. “What the hell.” 

The blue-haired boy beamed and began to open the package of Pepero, quickly pulling out one of the thin, chocolate-covered sticks and placing it between his teeth. An odd silence hung over the crowd as they waited in anticipation for Felix to bite onto the other end. 

“Ain’t no fuckin’ way,” Minho murmured back at the doorway. Changbin was awestruck, simply at a loss for words due to what he was witnessing with his own eyes. He was so encaptured by the events that he failed to notice the line had formed once again. 

Jisung and Felix made quick work of the game, the bar-goers getting progressively louder as the boys came closer and closer to eliminating the space between them entirely. 

Just as Changbin was about to look away, once it looked like Jisung and Felix were just going to end up kissing each other, it happened. If Changbin had blinked he would’ve missed it, but he didn’t and it was definitely real. Jisung locked eyes with Changbin and  _ smirked.  _ He continued like nothing had happened, stepping away from Felix and revealing the nearly microscopic crumb of Pepero that had been left between his teeth. Half the crowd cheered, the other half booed in disappointment at the fact that the boys hadn’t shared a peck. Changbin forced his head to turn back towards the now significantly longer line that he had waiting for him. 

“That’s crazy. I’ve never seen anyone get that close, Jisung must have played hundreds of times to get that good,” Minho rambled, completely missing the hints Changbin was dropping for him to leave him alone. 

“That’s one way to put it,” the bouncer muttered in response after realizing he would not get more time to himself. 

“What do you mean?”

Changbin ran a hand through his hair, exasperated, only for it to flop back down over his forehead. “I don’t know, maybe that he’s made his way through life by playing the Pepero game?”

“I’m still not following.”

“He’s a thot, Minho, I’m calling him a thot.”

Minho gasped. “Okay first of all, no one who uses the word ‘thot’ is getting laid, so maybe chill out with that one. Second of all, do you not like Jisung? He’s an absolute cutie pie, what are you smoking?”

“Definitely not the shit that makes every person in this establishment drool over him. He clearly learned to use his cuteness to his advantage at a young age and he’s gotten around by doing so.” 

“So you think he’s cute?”

Changbin cocked his head to the side. “Objectively . . . sure. That’s what I’m saying, it’s all he has going for him.” 

“Hm. Interesting,” Minho said as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. He had a look on his face like he had just placed the final piece into a puzzle and was now standing back to admire his work. Changbin completely disregarded him, shrugging it off as just another Minho thing. 

Half an hour passed and Minho never went back inside to continue his rounds. In all honesty, Changbin was beginning to enjoy his presence. They often stood around together and goofed off, though Changbin hadn’t felt like he was in the mood for it tonight. Minho, of course, quickly changed that. He was a good friend to Changbin, always impartial to everything he complained about, which made it easy  _ to  _ complain, since Minho never made him feel bad about it. He also had plenty of stories to tell, and god knew Changbin could use the entertainment. 

“So then I told him, I was like, ‘If that was your idea of shooting your shot, then I’m sorry but there is no way in hell anyone is going to have a drink with you, let alone go back to your place.” 

Changbin laughed at the way Minho was able to express things the exact way they happened in his stories. It made him think of what Minho had confided in him once when they hung out outside of work and got a little tipsy. Minho wanted to be an actor, but the money just hadn’t been right for his family to put him through school. That was all he’d said before changing the topic, but it stuck with Changbin and resurfaced in his thoughts sometimes when he looked at his coworker’s smiling face. 

They continued to share stories and small bits of conversation until they were interrupted by Chan suddenly emerging from inside the bar. 

“Hey guys,” he said, doing a double-take when he noticed Minho. “Aren’t you, uh, supposed to be inside?”

Minho shrugged. “I just needed a breath of fresh air,” he reasoned, completely nonchalant. Changbin always wondered how Minho could speak to Chan so effortlessly, as if Chan didn’t tell him he sucked at his job every week. 

“Right . . . well anyways, did you guys see what Jisung was up to tonight?” 

“Oh my god, right? He was really going in on that crowd, I came out here to tell Changbin— I mean I was  _ just  _ telling Changbin that. Because I just got out here.” 

Chan looked between Minho and Changbin, perplexed, but then seemed to shake it off. “Yeah, he really was. He doesn’t usually let anyone touch him. I was just wondering if either of you knew what may have set him off today.”

Changbin focused on the buildings across the street. The last thing he needed to do was tell Chan he’d bullied his plaything into drinking on the job and getting cozy with the customers. 

“No, I didn’t notice anything different about him until he was in action,” Minho said. 

“I see. It’s funny, you know, he’s usually really touchy with  _ me, _ ” Chan chuckled. “He’ll come talk to me after hours and it’s like he can’t get his hands off me, I swear.” 

Neither Minho nor Changbin laughed along with him. 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say he’s trying to fuck me. But that couldn’t be it, right?”

Still no answer from either of them.

“Like do you think he’d actually try and sleep with his boss?” Chan shuffled in place for a bit while rubbing the back of his neck. Changbin wasn’t sure if this was all an act or if he was genuinely embarrassed about asking. All he knew was that he wanted nothing more to do with it. 

Minho cleared his throat in an attempt to clear the silence that loomed over them awkwardly. “Has he said anything to make you think that’s his goal?” he said, putting all his effort into sounding like he didn’t think this was the weirdest conversation of his entire life. 

“Well, no,” Chan responded. “But I’m saying, he’s like,  _ all over me. _ ”

By this point Changbin could tell Chan was being 100% serious. At first he’d thought it was all some elaborate plan hatched up by Chan just so he could push Changbin’s buttons. Though judging by the tone of his voice he was genuinely asking. Either that or he was an impeccable actor, and Changbin knew better than to think that.

“Why don’t you just ask him?” Minho shrugged. Chan stared at him, bewildered, and even Changbin had to hold back from looking surprised. Sure, he didn’t give a shit about what Chan did in his mission to court Jisung, but straight up asking him if he wanted to fuck was the dumbest possible thing anyone could’ve suggested.

“Are you out of your mind?” Chan exclaimed before he seemed to remember he was supposed to keep his cool. “I mean, I wouldn’t do that. All I wanted was a second opinion from someone impartial to the situation so I could gauge what kind of preparations I’d need to take in case he did ever ask to sleep together. Because I really think he would ask, and if he does I’ll probably say yes. It’s not like I’m seeking it out, though.”   
  


That threw Changbin for a loop. It would have been one thing for Chan to agree with Minho, another for him to disagree. Yet somehow he’d given himself a third option. Nonetheless, Changbin should’ve expected it. Leave it to Chan to provide more information that nobody asked for just to accommodate his own agenda. It just so happened that his current agenda was really starting to piss Changbin off. 

“Really? You wouldn’t do that?” Changbin finally chimed in, glowering at Chan. “Because the last time I checked, you were really looking forward to Jisung turning 20. Almost like, oh I don’t know, you were planning to do something.” 

Chan straightened his posture as he stepped away from the wall he was leaning against. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, considering I didn’t even  _ know  _ Jisung before he turned 20.” 

Minho stood aside, witnessing the change in attitude both Changbin and Chan underwent in less than a second. He thought back to how upset Changbin had seemed when he’d first come outside to talk to him and wondered if it had anything to do with the way he was acting towards Chan now. Sure, they all hated him, but Changbin had never confronted him like this. At least not that Minho knew of. 

“Who are you lying for? Minho? Because he knows, everyone who works here knows. Or are you doing it for the customers? I’ll tell them right now, Chan, let them know just what kind of business it is you’re running here,” Changbin threatened, taking a step forward of his own so there was only a fraction of a space left between them. Minho looked over his shoulder and realized that there was a decent line of people waiting to get inside. 

“Uh, guys, why don’t you handle this somewhere else?” he suggested when he noticed some people pull out their phones. It wasn’t so much that he cared about the bar’s reputation or anything like that, he just didn’t want to be part of a viral video of his coworker and boss having a physical altercation. Luckily for him, Chan  _ did  _ care about the bar’s reputation. 

“Go home, Changbin,” Chan said sternly. “You’re clearly not going to cooperate tonight and I can’t have you slowing things down here. Go home and get some rest. You can come back tomorrow.” 

Minho held his breath waiting to see how Changbin would react. He exhaled a sigh of relief when the bouncer shoved past Chan wordlessly, keeping a scowl on his face. He made a beeline for the stairs and disappeared into the back room for a moment before quickly coming back outside and leaving with his bag in tow. He didn’t pay Minho even a single glance on his way out. 

“You’ll take his place for the night. Don’t worry about the inside,” Chan ordered.

“But . . . it’s really cold out here.”

“You can go get your jacket, just be back out here fast.” 

And with that Chan went back to his office, leaving Minho to stand there in shock until the impatient customers reminded him he had a job to do. 

* * *

For future reference, Minho made a note to himself to come outside and talk to Changbin more often. He’d only been standing outside for an hour and already he was starting to feel like he was losing his sense of self. Customers consistently left and arrived, so it wasn’t like he didn’t have anything to do. It was just that he was doing possibly the most boring thing on Earth, staring at plastic identification cards for two seconds at a time. 

Minho glanced down at his watch when he found himself in the middle of another short-lived break. It was only 2am, they still had another two hours before closing. He glanced inside and saw that there was a good amount of people. Considering the options presented in front of him, going to get his jacket and risking making customers wait or staying put but possibly freezing to death, Minho decided to go with the former. What was the worst that could happen? Chan yelling at him? As if he hadn’t heard it all a thousand times already. 

He ducked inside, maneuvering his way through the crowds of people standing around. After successfully getting his coat from the back room he went back downstairs, only to be stopped by Jisung calling out to him. 

“Hey! Why are you grabbing your coat, are you leaving?” Jisung asked with a hint of concern in his voice. 

Minho shook his head. “No, I was just getting really cold. I don’t know how Changbin does it,” he chuckled. 

Jisung blinked at him. “Yeah, I wonder,” he said absentmindedly. “Say, uh, what was that all about anyways? Why’d he leave?”

“Um . . . I don’t really know if I should say. I’ve gotta get back outside before Chan comes down here and chews both of us out.” Jisung frowned when Minho said that, as if the concept of being told off by Chan confused him. It made Minho think of everything Chan had said about Jisung to him and Changbin. 

“Oh. Okay. Well, have fun out there!” the younger exclaimed, having suddenly reverted back to his bubbly self. 

“I definitely won’t.”

Pulling his coat on, Minho hurried back outside and nearly ran straight into someone. He stumbled back a bit and began to apologize, until he looked up and was met with a familiar face. 

Seungmin froze for approximately one millisecond before he grabbed Jeongin by the wrist and booked it. Minho immediately went after them, catching them by the backs of their shirts easily. 

“Where do you think you’re going? And I mean that both as in why are you  _ here  _ and why are you  _ running. _ ” Minho smirked, feeling proud of himself for that one. 

“Why are you here? You work this shift, too?” Seungmin inquired after freeing himself from Minho’s grasp. Jeongin was still trying to wriggle out, with little success. 

Minho raised an eyebrow at him. “What the hell are you talking about? Yeah, I work this shift, too, who else would? And why are you asking questions, I’m the interrogator here.” Jeongin grunted as he nearly fell over when Minho let go of his shirt. “Explain yourselves.”

“We thought you wouldn’t be here! Like maybe there’d be a different bouncer or something and we saw that there wasn’t anyone at the door and figured we just lucked out big time!” The youngest admitted, earning him a seemingly commonplace punch on the shoulder from Seungmin. 

“You’ve got to be kidding. Did you really think sneaking into the same bar you’d been kicked out of days before would work out in your favor?” Minho threw his head back and laughed out loud. “Some geniuses you two are. What grade are you guys even in?” 

“That’s irrelevant. Listen, man, Jeongin’s right. We came here with the assumption that you wouldn’t be here, a pretty valid one to make, if you ask me, considering most places have different employees on different days. What, are you trying to say you’re the only guy in your position?” Seungmin demanded. 

“Yeah, actually, that’s exactly what I’m saying. There are four of us who work here, and we’re the  _ only  _ ones.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Jeongin asked. “That sounds kind of unethical, don’t you think?”

Minho rolled his eyes in contempt. “You’re preaching to the choir, kid. Now, back to the main point. You two got IDs for me?” 

“Why? You know they’re fake, what’s the point?” The redhead asked skeptically. 

“What kind of adult would I be if I didn’t confiscate them? Plus, I want to see what stupid shit they say this time,” Minho added with a playful grin. 

The pair looked at each other, Jeongin seemingly waiting for Seungmin to give him some sort of signal. Minho just hoped he wouldn’t have to do any more running. His wishes were fulfilled as the two handed over a new set of ID cards. He ran his eyes over the first one, which was supposed to be Jeongin’s, and was surprised to see there were no glaring mistakes. His height and weight both looked accurate, and they had stuck to the ages that at least made a little sense. “I’ve gotta give it to you, these are pretty—” he paused when he moved Seungmin’s ID on top of Jeongin’s. 

“Pretty what?” asked the ID-holder in question.

“Is this supposed to be a joke or something?” Minho turned the card and practically shoved it in Seungmin’s face. “Lee Minho? Really?” 

“Yeah? What about it?”

“That’s  _ my  _ name! You’re gonna come back to  _ my  _ place of work and look me in the eye then hand me a fake ID that has my name on it?”

Jeongin looked to Seungmin for an answer, but he didn’t seem to have one. 

“I . . . What? Dude, how could I have possibly known that? Do you know how common of a name  _ Lee Minho  _ is? There’s a whole ass actor with that name, man!” he shouted. 

Minho gaped at him for another moment, then sighed as he placed his hands on his hips. “Okay, whatever, you know what? Just get out of here. It’s late as hell, I’ve got a job to do and you two have families to go back to,” he said, pocketing their fake IDs and lightly patting them both on the back. The pair frowned, disappointed that they’d been sent packing the same way they had last time, but walked away nonetheless. Minho watched them until they turned a corner and returned to the door, praying that no one else had snuck in while his back was turned. 

* * *

The bar was always much calmer after closing, for obvious reasons. All the other employees seemed to relish in the silence that came with kicking out every customer, but to Jisung everything just seemed to get a little lonely. He always tried to hurry up with his cleaning so he could go upstairs and tell Chan he was ready to go. The older had been giving him a ride home for as long as he’d worked there, had insisted that it wasn’t a big deal and that he’d rather do it himself than worry about Jisung being in danger on his way home alone. If he was being completely honest, Jisung liked knowing that Chan cared about him that much. 

As he wiped down his last table he heard footsteps approach him from behind and instinctively turned around quickly. It was Felix, holding his own washcloth in his hands and fidgeting with it. 

“Sorry,” the brunette said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”   
  


Jisung shook his head. “You didn’t.” 

“Okay, good. Well, um, I came over cause I wanted to ask about tonight. Why’d you do all that stuff? It seemed like it all came straight out of left field.” 

“Ah, right. It was nothing, really. I just got a little carried away with some customers earlier on and uh . . . I had a few shots, that’s all. Just wasn’t thinking entirely straight, I guess.” Jisung leaned back, half-sitting on the table behind him. 

Felix made a small noise like he understood, but he didn’t really sound that convinced. “Well in that case, can I ask you something different?” 

Jisung nodded.

“The other day, I was talking to Chan and . . . he said this thing about me leaving all the work to you? His line of logic was that I needed to smile more so I could attract more customers because at the moment he says you’re the one doing all the work. And I can’t help but think he’s right, so I just needed to ask you if that’s how you feel. Because if it is I’ll change my work style up right now and do my best to draw more customers towards me,” Felix said in a rush. 

“Wait. Chan said that to you?” 

“Mhm.”

The smaller boy lowered his head in thought for a bit. “No,” he eventually said. “Of course you don’t leave all the work to me, Lix. I really like what I do, so it’s no problem for me, you don’t have to worry about that,” he assured him with a soft smile. 

“Oh. Okay! That’s good to know, actually, thanks. I was kind of having trouble sleeping thinking about that for the past few days.” 

“Pfft, no way. You basically offer to pay my rent for me every month, I think the last thing you should be thinking about me is that I resent you for making me do more work. Don’t you know I thrive off the attention of others?” Jisung joked, making both of them laugh for a while. 

“That reminds me, do you need anything this month? Groceries, clothes, anything?” 

Jisung playfully shoved Felix, giggling some more. The younger boy started to go back over to the bar, where he threw his washcloth in the sink and rinsed off his hands. 

“Can I ask  _ you  _ something now?” Jisung muttered once his coworker shut off the tap. 

“That sounds fair, yeah.”

He hesitated, wondering if it would really be a good idea to expose all of his concerns to Felix. He then realized that it definitely wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering Felix was probably his best friend in the world at that point. 

“Is Chan really mean to you?” Jisung asked after struggling to find the right opener. “I know that’s probably a stupid question given what you just told me, but I mean like . . . all of you. Is he mean to everyone? All the time?” 

Felix walked back around the bar and sat on the stool right at the edge, next to the stairs. “To be honest, yeah. He is. It’s nothing new, though, I’ve heard enough from him that it doesn’t really affect me anymore. That last time only got to me because it was about you, and I didn’t want to inconvenience you. But yeah, I suppose he is mean to all of us all the time.” 

Burying his head in his hands, Jisung groaned as he took a seat at the booth he had previously been wiping down. “So he was right,” he said, his words coming out muffled through his palms. 

“Who was? What’s wrong?” 

“Changbin. We just . . . Look, Felix, the truth about today is that we had a fight. Me and Changbin. Chan called us in for a meeting together and Changbin didn’t like the way he was talking to him so he lashed out at him and Chan sent me downstairs but I stayed by the stairs to listen cause they left the door open and,” Jisung paused to take a long inhale, “Changbin said all of these things about Chan. And he called me his boytoy. Because of that I waited for him to come downstairs so I could confront him and I didn’t even get a single argument in. All he did was say these shitty things about me and then he stomped outside. The only thing I could think to do was have a shot and mess around with the customers out of spite. I’m sorry, Lix, I made you play the game with me as part of my own fucked up coping mechanism.” 

By then Felix had left his spot on the barstool and crouched down next to Jisung at the booth, rubbing small circles on his back. “What do you mean? What did Changbin say to you?” he whispered. 

Jisung looked up at him, revealing the tears beginning to stream down his face. “He said maybe me fucking Chan would make him stop treating the rest of you guys like shit,” he sniffled. “I didn’t believe him, though, that’s the problem! I didn’t think there was any way Chan was being mean to you guys when he’s always been nothing but nice to me. But then I talked to Minho and now you . . . that’s everyone. Changbin wasn’t lying. Which means he’s right, it’s  _ my  _ fault that Chan is so cruel to you all, I should have already slept with him, right?” 

“No! No, no, no, not at all. I mean, I don’t know. Is that what you want? How do you even know that’s what he wants?” Felix was having a hard time figuring out what to say, he just hoped he was somehow comforting his friend. 

“He’s told me. Not directly, but he’s implied it. It’s just the way he looks at me and the things he says. He’s always calling me pet names. He treats me the same way the customers treat me. I don’t even dislike it, so why haven’t I done it? Why don’t I just fuck him already, if it’ll genuninely make him stop treating the rest of you so badly?” Jisung sobbed into his hands again.

Felix scooted into the booth next to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Jisung hugged his waist, resting his forehead on his shoulder and continuing to sob. The younger boy patted his head softly, encouraging him to let out all of his emotions. They sat there like that for a while, only the sounds of Jisung’s soft whimpers filling the room. It was a surprise to Felix that Chan hadn’t come downstairs yet. 

Once Jisung calmed down, Felix held him at arms’ length and gave him the kindest look he could pull off, which wasn’t very hard for him. His name didn’t mean happiness for no reason. 

“Hey. Look at me,” Felix began. “You don’t have to do  _ anything  _ for our sake. Changbin is just a jerk. He, Minho, and I all chose to work here, and we could leave whenever we wanted to. So do not even think about doing anything that you don’t want to just to save us. Okay?” 

He waited for Jisung to nod before enveloping him in another hug.

“Now let’s get you home. I’ll tell Chan you’re getting a ride with me tonight. We can have a sleepover!” he said, smiling brightly at the still sad-looking boy. But after hearing that, Jisung managed to return the gesture, even though it was the tiniest smile he could muster up. 

As he sat in the booth, waiting for Felix to come back downstairs so they could leave, Jisung could only think of one thing:

How grateful he was to have met Felix. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt ! @byeoIbin (capital i, not lowercase L)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer i dont hate chan or hyunjin they just suck in this fic for Plot ksjdkskdjs. also you may notice there are 6 chapters now instead of 5 and that is due to my own unpredictability, if it changes again whoops

“Ooh, look at those!” Jisung exclaimed as he ran over to a display window to admire a pair of combat boots that had caught his eye. It was a pleasant Thursday afternoon, which meant the bar wasn’t open that night, so Jisung and Felix had decided to spend the day together at the mall. 

“You like them? I can buy them for you if you want,” Felix said sincerely. 

Jisung rolled his eyes at that. “I swear sometimes you make it sound like you’re my sugar daddy.”

“. . . So do you want them or not?”

“No!”   
  


They laughed at each other and walked away from the shop window, looping their arms together. After the initial sleepover Felix invited Jisung to, the pair had become much closer than ever before. Rather than just being work friends who they were pretty sure they could count on in a sticky situation with a customer, they were now practically best friends who would trust each other with their lives. It made Jisung happy to have someone he could really talk to, and Felix was just happy that he was happy. 

Felix gasped as they turned the corner and his eyes landed on a store. “We should totally go to Spencer’s.” 

“Isn’t that the store that sells dildos?” 

“Among other things.”   
  


Jisung wasn’t allowed time to respond as he soon found himself being dragged towards the dark, grungy-looking store. He had never been inside one because he was a little afraid of the employees, but since dyeing his hair blue he felt that maybe he could slip right in without getting noticed for his extremely childlike facial features. 

They suddenly stopped, causing the people who were directly behind them to go around them and give them a bit of a nasty look. Jisung ignored it, more concerned with whatever it was that had made his friend stop in his tracks. “What is it?”

“Shh! Look!” Felix pointed for a second into the store.

“I don’t see anything,” Jisung stated.

“Right there, next to the graphic tees! Isn’t that Changbin?”

A lump seemed to appear out of nowhere in Jisung’s throat, but he cleared his throat to push it away. He took a closer look at where the shirt designs were displayed up against a wall and sure enough, there stood their coworker, staring intently at a t-shirt he held outstretched in front of him. 

“Damn, he looks good. I only ever see him wearing his usual black clothes because that’s all Chan lets us wear, but if this is how he dresses all the time outside of work,” Felix paused to whistle, “I might have to start talking to him more often.” 

“Are you kidding me?” Jisung scoffed. 

Felix gave him a quizzical look before seeming to remember that he and Changbin weren’t on the best of terms. “I mean. From a totally objective standpoint. Come on, you must think he’s a  _ little  _ attractive. Just as a fact.”

Jisung stared at him, wide-eyed. “There is no way you are actually trying to get me to say the guy who called me a whore is hot.”   
  


“Okay first of all, he didn’t  _ directly  _ call you a whore. And second, I didn’t say anything about him being hot, he’s moderately attractive.” 

“You think he’s hot.”

“Yes, 100%. But you don’t have to! Come on, Jisung, put everything aside and be a normal gay with me for a second. If you think he’s ugly then say it, you can take your anger out on him,” Felix said matter-of-factly. It amazed Jisung how he could spin any situation into a much more lighthearted version of itself. If you asked him, Felix probably lived in a dream world where everything seemed better than it was. Jisung liked that about him, but at the same time he worried that the weight of the real world would inevitably tear Felix down. He was too kind.

Jisung sighed and took another look at Changbin. He got what Felix was saying, most definitely. He was so used to seeing the older male in plain black t-shirts or sweaters tucked into plain black jeans with an unpatterned black belt and pair of shoes. Not only was it strange to see him outside of work, it was even stranger to see him in such fashionable clothing. He looked like he’d jumped straight out of a magazine. “I guess that . . . objectively . . . he has features that may or may not be pleasing to the human eye.” 

“Ah, really? I was honestly expecting you to diss him. This is a surprise to me.” Felix wiggled his eyebrows at Jisung, making him laugh and push him away in disgust. 

“Ew, I hate that! And you asked me to be gay for a second so there you go, I was being gay.”

“For Changbin. You know what, I think we should go say hi.”

Jisung cocked his head to the side. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Don’t be silly, it’ll be fine!”

The pair began to struggle with each other as Jisung glued his feet to the ground and Felix tried desperately to move him. Meanwhile in the store, Changbin failed to notice any of this taking place.

He had originally set out to find some vinyls. Minho had told him about an old record player he wanted to sell and Changbin instantly offered to buy it. Now it was just a matter of finding actual records to play on it. But one thing led to another and now Changbin found himself trying to decide on a One Piece t-shirt to buy. 

Ever since the previous week when Chan had sent him home for his behavior, Changbin had done a lot of thinking. About Chan, about the bar, and mostly about Jisung. It dawned on him very soon that the younger boy had never really done anything to him, nor did he have any proof that he was actually seducing Chan. In all honesty it disgusted Changbin to think about how quick he had been to blame Jisung instead of the literal predator right before his eyes, just because he was best friends with him. Even now as he stared at the design of the Straw Hat Pirates on the shirt his mind drifted to Chan, who had been the one to introduce him to the anime. 

“No, Felix, stop! I’m not getting any closer to him, we have nothing to say to each other!” 

Changbin blinked his thoughts away when he heard that familiar silvery voice. He looked to his side and was immediately met with Jisung, who was being pushed closer to him by Felix. 

“Jisung? Felix? What are you guys doing here?” Changbin tried to sound as unbothered as he possibly could. 

“Oh, hey!” Felix greeted with a bright smile on his face as he threw an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, probably to keep him in place more than anything. “We were just in the area doing some window shopping and we were about to walk in here when we saw you! What’s up?” 

The bouncer narrowed his eyes at his coworkers, unsure of what to make of the situation. He suddenly remembered he was holding a shirt in his hands and began to fold it and put it back in its place. “Uh, same. Window shopping.” 

“Cool, awesome, dope. You know we were actually just talking about how different you look outside of the bar. Nice jacket, I’m really digging this look you’ve got going.” 

“Oh. Thanks. I’ve actually worn this to work, though —”

“Really? Interesting! I wish I could hear more about it right now but I actually really need to pee so I’ll be back!”

Jisung’s eyes widened when he heard that. “Yeah, I guess we’ll be going then!” he said a little too desperately without looking at Changbin. 

The younger bartender unwrapped Jisung’s fingers from his hand, which had immediately latched on as soon as Felix said he was going to go. “No that’s fine, why don’t you stay here? I don’t want to make you wait for me in those super crowded bathrooms.”

Before Jisung could dispute it, Felix speed walked out of the store and out of their sight. Jisung did a 180 back towards Changbin and smiled awkwardly. “So, um . . . you like anime?”

Changbin was so caught off guard by everything that was happening that he had to process the question. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess you could say that.”

They stood in silence, both nodding to themselves. 

It occurred to Changbin that maybe this was some sort of fate type thing. He had just been thinking about his situation with Chan and Jisung and now the latter was standing right in front of him. If there was any time to apologize to him, right then would probably be ideal. 

“Say, Jisung—”

“Wait. I kind of want to say something,” Jisung interjected. 

Changbin nodded again, putting his hands in his pockets. 

Jisung swallowed, once again trying to eliminate the ever-present lump in his throat. This had all come so suddenly to him, yet he felt it was the right thing to do. “I’ve done some thinking over the past week. And I decided that I needed to apologize to you. Now before you say anything about not wanting an apology, just hear me out.”

The elder remained silent, a wordless cue for Jisung to continue.

“What you said about me really sucked. It hurt my feelings, a lot. Despite that, you weren’t entirely wrong, I just didn’t believe you. Not once did it occur to me that my relationship with Chan could have such an effect on the way he treated the rest of the employees, so when you implied that he’d be nicer if I . . . you know, it didn’t make any sense to me.” Jisung paused and bit his lip, looking for the right words. “I thought it was just an extension of the other insults you were throwing at me. But then I saw what Minho had to do when he took your place and I asked Felix about it and I realized you were telling the truth. So I’m sorry for that, for not believing you. I guess I just thought Chan was incapable of being so rude. He’s never been anything but nice to me,” he said with a soft, half-hearted chuckle.

That was the last thing that Changbin had expected to hear. There he was, getting ready to deliver his own apology, and Jisung entirely beat him to it. Frankly, it made him feel even worse about himself, because he knew he didn’t deserve it.

“You don’t need to apologize for that. If someone was pelting me with insults I wouldn’t exactly stop to think about whether what they said was true or not,” Changbin replied. “I was actually about to apologize to you, for everything I said. It was extremely out of pocket and I didn’t mean any of it. I was just  _ so  _ angry, I think I was literally seeing red.”

Jisung chuckled again, still not entirely comfortable with the fact that he was having an actual conversation with Changbin, but he was getting there. 

“Basically, I’m sorry for implying you blackmailed Chan.”

“Um, I think you did a little more than imply it.” 

“Jisung I am trying really hard here to do something I am not used to doing,  _ please  _ work with me.” Changbin clasped his two hands together briefly. 

Jisung bit down on his bottom lip again, his arm crossed over his torso and gripping his other arm. “Right. I guess I couldn’t expect a perfect apology, huh?”

Changbin sighed. “No, not really. I will say this, though, I felt really stupid once I realized I was trying to blame you for something that was out of your control.”   
  


“What do you mean?”

“Well, Chan  _ did  _ groom you. Like, big time. I told him way back when that he’d be in jail if anyone but me was his friend. Now that I think about it that makes me just as bad as him.”

The blue-haired boy turned pale. He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to get a grasp on the words that had just left Changbin’s mouth. Groomed him? Was that really what Chan had done? Sure, Jisung was still a minor when he met him but they never did anything so he saw nothing wrong with it. His head began to pound as every compliment and every term of endearment Chan had ever fed him raced through his mind. 

“Jisung? Are you okay?” Changbin’s voice sounded like it was miles away, instead of a few feet from where Jisung was standing right then and there. 

“Yeah,” the younger managed to respond, though he sounded like he was in quite a daze. “I think I should go find Felix now. He’s been gone a while.” 

Without another word, Jisung turned on his heel and walked out of the store, leaving Changbin to wonder if it was something he had said. 

* * *

The next night, the boys all clocked in for work and began their routines as usual. Chan didn’t call anyone in for a meeting, which threw them off, but it wasn’t like they were complaining. 

Not having to deal with Chan’s bullshit put Changbin in a much more pleasant mood. For once he didn’t seem to think about how cold it was outside, in fact it almost seemed like the weather had favored him that night. He felt comfortable in his black longline sweater and jeans, whistling a song he’d been listening to on the drive over as he checked IDs. It was setting up to be the best night at work he’d ever had. 

The same could not be said about Jisung. 

If there was one word to describe the state of mind Jisung had been in ever since his talk with Changbin the day before, it was  _ dread.  _ Knowing and acknowledging that Chan was an absolute asshat to the other employees was one thing, but being suddenly met with the realization that he had conditioned Jisung into being attracted to him was a whole nother, much more overwhelming feat. 

He stumbled over his own feet for the third time that night, grabbing onto the handles on one of the cabinets to stop himself from falling. The customers seemed concerned at first, though as the night progressed they grew more and more impatient, displeased with the lack of affection Jisung was presenting them with. He wasn’t trying to be so dissonant, it just happened that he was unable to execute any of his usual charming moves when he was preoccupied with his own identity crisis. 

“Jisung?” Felix had hurried over to help him regain his footing just as he had the past two times. This time, though, he excused both of them from the bar, shooting the customers an apologetic look before walking Jisung over to a stool and sitting him down. “What’s going on? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, Lix, let me go back, there are customers waiting,” the elder replied, his voice taut with anxiety. He tried to stand, but his coworker held him down firmly. 

“They can wait. You really don’t look so good. I don’t think I’ve heard you compliment anyone on their shirt color yet, so obviously something’s up. Are you sick, do you need to go home?”

  
  


Jisung shook his head fervently and stood up, holding Felix at arms length. “I’m okay. Really.” He smiled, though his voice still held that certain texture that made it clear he was hiding something. “Now, can we please get back to work? I don’t want Chan to come down here and see us like this.” 

Felix didn’t miss the crack in his voice when he said Chan’s name.

“Fine,” Felix sighed. “But if you have another slip-up like that I’m gonna have no choice but to put you in time-out.”

Jisung laughed at the joke, resting his arm around Felix’s shoulders as they walked back behind the bar and returned to their jobs. 

A couple of hours passed with no more mishaps. It seemed that Jisung had just needed to sit down for a bit, since he was once again back to serving his customers with the same passion he always had. Felix silently patted himself on the back for taking action and giving his friend a much-needed break from all of the hustle and bustle of the bar. Clearly he’d done a good job. 

“Hey, what can I get—” Felix was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering on the floor. He jumped out of surprise at the initial noise and began to look for the source of the crash. It didn’t take long to find, as it was Jisung who was cleaning it up mere inches away from Felix. 

“I am so, so sorry, I can get you a new one right away, on the house!” Jisung offered, to which the guest in question nodded and said something about deserving a free drink. Felix scowled at him as he went to help with the cleanup. “No, you don’t have to—”

“Of course I do,” Felix insisted. He brought over the dustpan and handheld broom they kept nearby for situations just like these and instructed Jisung to not touch any of the glass. “Get that asshole his drink, it’s the least of our problems right now.” 

Jisung silently nodded and went to do just that. He then walked back over to Felix, who was pouring the shards of glass into their recycling bin. 

“What happened?” The taller boy asked. He didn’t sound angry  _ at _ Jisung, moreso he seemed to be upset that Jisung was clearly not having a good day. 

  
  


“I-I don’t know. It just slipped right out of my grasp, I—”

“But why?”

Jisung hesitated, taken aback by how assertive Felix was. He fiddled with his fingers before answering, “I saw him again.”

“Him?”

“That customer. From a few years back, maybe you weren’t here yet, actually. He came to the bar one night and completely invaded my personal space. He’s kind of the reason I don’t let other customers touch me,” Jisung admitted, refusing to make eye contact with his coworker.

Felix’s eyes grew wide. He’d never heard anything about this customer, but judging by the way Jisung was acting he was obviously bad news. “Where is he?”

He gestured with a nod towards a booth where two men sat across from each other. “I don’t remember his name,” Jisung said, “but it’s not really important. Chan kicked him out that night and told Changbin to not let him in again, but I can’t expect Changbin to remember every single face he sees. It was a long time ago, it’s not his fault.”

“Which one of them is he, though?”

“The bigger one with the blond hair. I’ve never seen that skinnier guy in here before.” 

Felix looked the man up and down and shook his head. He looked like the kind of lowlife who would harass a bartender or waitress or anyone, really. “Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured when he saw how Jisung couldn’t rip his gaze from the pair. “If he tries to talk to you I’ll stop him. He can take his order with me just as well as he can with you.”

Jisung thanked Felix with a soft squeeze of his hand. When he went back to his customers, Felix couldn’t help but keep glancing over at him every few minutes. It was worrying him how off Jisung seemed, especially with this recent turn of events. Nothing went wrong, though, and soon enough the two were back to taking orders and making drinks like they’d never stopped. 

When he really got down to business, sometimes Jisung would neglect to look at who he was talking to, instead electing to flip to a new page in his notepad so he could jot down multiple orders at once. It was because of this that he began to take the next man’s order without a second thought, only to be met with a rude awakening. 

“What can I get ya?” he asked in his standard customer service voice.

“How ‘bout your number?” The honeyed voice responded. 

Jisung blinked and looked up, torn out of his work-mind. He’d gotten that one plenty of times, but it never failed to throw him off for a second. This time, though, he immediately tensed up as he was met with the face of the man who’d been sitting with his harasser. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t,” he gulped, “I don’t hand my number out to customers.” That was a much more cowardly version of what he usually told people who tried to get his number, which was something along the lines of “Buy me a few drinks, then we’ll see.” The foolhardy customers would always comply, only to be unpleasantly surprised when Jisung followed it up with, “Sorry, I’m not allowed to drink on the job.” He felt confident in himself turning them down, but right then the only thing on his mind was the last time he  _ hadn’t  _ been so cocky, with his aforementioned harasser. 

“Aw, come on. I hear you’ll do anything for a high enough tip,” the brunette male said as he slid a folded bill into the tip jar. The whole time his eyes were trained on Jisung, occasionally trailing down for a moment before quickly shooting back up to meet his fearful stare. 

“That’s very nice of you, honestly, but I’m afraid I can’t—”

“Oh don’t give me that!” The man screamed, slapping the jar onto the floor where it broke, scattering the change that was inside all over. All of the chatter in the bar stopped as all eyes were drawn to the source of the commotion, including Felix’s.

He looked at the man in front of Jisung and recognized him from the booth, instantly feeling disappointed in himself for letting him slip past him and get to Jisung. His next thought was to get Chan, his feet reacting before his mind as he was already on his way to the stairs by the time the thought was fully formed in his head. With his back turned to the rest of the bar, Felix ascended the stairs and prepared to enter Chan’s office before stopping in his tracks at the loud thud and subsequent exclamations of the customers. He backtracked, going only part of the way down to see what had happened, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was.

On the ground lay the man, holding his hands up to his right cheek and moaning in pain. Changbin crouched down above him and took the man’s shirt between his fists, shaking him up and down and yelling at him. 

“The fuck is wrong with you?! Huh?! You think it’s fun to fuck with bar workers? Do you?!” He punctuated every question with a harsh shake. Felix looked over at Jisung and saw that he was standing in the same spot, watching everything with a somewhat blank stare in his eyes. 

More cries of excitement came from the customers as the brunette suddenly jerked upwards, headbutting Changbin and forcing him to loosen his grip for a moment. The man saw that as his opportunity to turn the tables in his favor, literally and figuratively. Just as he was about to flip them over, Changbin pinned him back down, his head bouncing off the floorboards with a painful bang. The man groaned loudly, letting his arms go limp at his sides while he rolled his head around painfully. 

Chan rushed down the stairs, nearly knocking Felix down in the process, and pulled Changbin off of the man. He took the bouncer aside and they seemed to discuss what had happened, as Chan was nodding along to Changbin’s words. The pair soon returned to the man lying on the ground and lifted him by his arms. They walked him to the exit and shoved him out the door, where Minho watched in awe as Changbin patted him down until he found his wallet. 

“Hwang Hyunjin,” he read off of the ID. “I’ll keep that one in mind in case he ever tries to show his face around here again.” Changbin threw the wallet and ID at the man before yelling at him to leave. 

Back inside, Jisung stood in an almost trance-like state behind the bar. He was surprised yet still not quite pulled out of his daze when a pair of boys sat down in front of him. 

“What can I get you?” he asked instinctively, looking at the boys’ faces but not focusing hard enough to make out any of their features. It was like he’d come to work without his contacts, despite not even wearing contacts because he’d gotten laser eye surgery. 

“I’ll have one beer, please,” one of the voices said. 

“Any specific one?” Jisung continued to say on autopilot.

“Um . . . one with lots of foamy stuff?” 

The taller of the two smacked the one who was speaking and was about to scold him, but Jisung didn’t get to hear it as he was soon pulled away by Felix. 

“Hey, don’t worry about that, I’ll handle them. You just sit down,” he ordered. Jisung nodded and sat down, unable to think of anything but the way Changbin looked when he threw that first punch. 

“Hi, sorry about that, this isn’t really my coworker’s night. What did you guys order?” Felix asked while analyzing the boys’ faces. They looked young, and honestly a bit familiar, though he wasn’t sure why. 

The smaller one opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his friend. “He’ll have a draft beer and I’ll take a vodka soda on the rocks. Thanks.” 

Felix patted the counter and nodded before leaving to get their drinks. 

“What does ‘on the rocks’ mean? They just throw actual rocks in there? Should I have asked for rocks?” Jeongin gasped. “Are they rocks of cocaine?” he asked in a hushed voice. 

Seungmin stared at him in disbelief. “No, Jeongin, they’re not rocks of cocaine,  _ why  _ would they be rocks of cocaine? It just means ice, dumbass.” 

“Ice . . .” Jeongin looked down at his hands, folded on the counter in confusion. When the bartender came back and placed his mug of beer in front of him, he grabbed it by the handle and asked, “Can you add some rocks to this?” 

Felix narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry, what?”   
  


Seungmin waved his hand back and forth in front of Felix’s face. “Don’t mind him, please, we pregamed.” 

“Pregamed . . . You know what, I don’t have time for this right now. Enjoy your drinks.” 

The bartender walked away again, leaving Seungmin to once again chew out his naive friend. “What the hell is wrong with you? If you keep talking like that we’ll be out of here in no time!” 

“Actually I think we’ll be out of here no matter what I say,” Jeongin said, his eyes trained on something past Seungmin’s head. The elder turned to see what it was and was startled by Minho, who was running straight for them. Without a moment’s hesitation, Seungmin grabbed his glass and downed the contents in one fell swoop. Just as he slammed it back onto the counter, empty, Minho grabbed him by the back of his shirt and spun him around in his seat to face him. 

“Ha, what are you gonna do about it?” Seungmin mocked after sticking his tongue out and revealing there was no alcohol left in his mouth. Minho grimaced, turning his attention to Jeongin. 

“You’d better not have had a single sip of that beer, mister!” he hissed, pointing a finger at the boy. 

“I couldn’t, I was too busy worrying about the rocks,” Jeongin mumbled. 

That sentence alone was enough to completely blow out Minho’s fuse. He stood back, perplexed at what he had just heard. “What are you talking about?” he asked in a normal voice. 

“Okay, we’re not doing this again,” Seungmin chimed in as he stood from his seat. 

“Again? What— No, whatever, I don’t care. Let’s go, you absolute spawns of Satan.” Minho began to shove them out the door, leading them a little ways away from the bar before stopping and having them look at him. “Why do you guys keep trying? I mean, seriously, it’s like you’re doing it out of spite at this point. And Jeongin, why do you keep tagging along. I know Seungmin is the one in charge of all this so why do you always join him?”

Jeongin was seemingly caught off guard by the question. A slight blush crept up his cheeks as he lowered his gaze and began to tug on the collar of his shirt. “I, uh. I just want to spend time with him,” he murmured. 

Both Minho and Seungmin’s eyes widened. “Wait, really? You tag along all the time just to hang out with me?” the taller boy asked. 

“Mhm.” 

Minho watched, astounded at the two boys as they slowly turned to face each other. 

“Why didn’t you just say you wanted to spend time together? We could’ve done anything you wanted to do, you didn’t have to force yourself to do this just for me. I thought you were just as into this as I was. Now I feel bad . . .” Seungmin rubbed the back of his neck in shame.

“Don’t!” Jeongin abruptly exclaimed. “I just knew it was something you really wanted to do, so I figured I was okay with coming along if it would make you happy. I really like spending time with you.” 

“So do I. About you, I mean.” 

Jeongin looked up at Seungmin and smiled softly. Minho had never felt like such a third wheel, yet so proud at the same time. He held back some tears and cleared his throat. “Well, uh. I don’t know what this all is but I think I’d better leave you two to sort it out.” He started off, then remembered he still had to do something. “Oh and, I’m gonna need your IDs.”

Without looking at him or saying a word, they both took their IDs out of their pockets and handed them to Minho. 

Nothing on them looked out of place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt ! @byeoIbin (thats a capital i, not a lowercase L)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY for disappearing for like a month lol i was incapable of writing after chapter 3 bc i hated it and lost all my motivation. hopefully this chapter makes up for it, tho!!

The next day, Chan sat at the top of the stairs to watch every employee enter the building. He’d scoot over to allow them access to the stairs when they went towards the break room, greeting them with a nod so slight you’d miss it if you blinked. They were surprised to see him sitting on the stairs, though no one stopped to ask why he wasn’t in his office. There were a lot of things they could handle, but indulging in Chan’s antics was not one of them. 

Luckily for Chan, he didn’t want to be entertained at the moment. He was waiting for one employee, and just as he’d predicted, he was nowhere to be found. 

A glance at his watch told him it was about to be midnight and Jisung had yet to show up. One of the benefits of running an all-night bar was that the customers were usually already fucked up by the time they got inside, so they’d be none the wiser if an employee was missing. That was, except for Jisung. He was the one they were all there to see, after all. 

The very moment Chan rose from his spot on the second to top step, Jisung rushed in through the door and came bounding up the stairs. He gave Chan a faint smile and muttered, “Excuse me” as he walked right past him and into the back room. Chan had been planning on giving him some big speech about how this was totally not what he expected from him, but something in the way Jisung was carrying himself told him it’d probably be best to just let it go if he wanted to make any money that night. Chan waited for Jisung to get behind the bar, then slowly wandered back into his office, shutting the door behind him. 

“Hey, where were you?” Felix asked as Jisung quickly grabbed a bandana and tied it around his head, the red cloth clashing with his blue hair, yet somehow it worked for him. 

“I got caught up at home, lost track of time. I’ll talk to you later, though, Chan looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel if I didn’t get to work immediately.” Jisung moved frantically, grabbing his pen off the back counter and setting it behind his ear before finally greeting his customers.

“I’ll say,” Felix muttered to himself. He smiled at a woman who was beginning to approach the bar and made a mental note to try and actually focus on his work tonight rather than worry about Jisung the whole time. It didn’t take a pro gambler to know all bets were off on that happening, though. 

The process of bartending was second nature to Jisung. He had picked it up as a bit of an unusual hobby when he was 15, his access to alcohol being provided by a very lax older sibling who played it off as “supporting his younger brother’s dreams.” He knew what he was doing, obviously getting free drinks was the end goal. It all came back to bite him when he realized he’d have to test all of Jisung’s fuck ups first. 

It all seemed like a distant memory to Jisung. In fact, it felt like the only parts of his life he could ever think about were the parts involving Chan. At that moment it made no difference, as there was only one thing on Jisung’s mind. 

He let his subconscious drift into space while he shook up a concoction vigorously. The image of Changbin’s fist connecting with the cheek of that man stuck with Jisung. He’d been replaying the scene over and over again from the moment it happened. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the heat of the moment, but in complete truthfulness, he felt as if Changbin had been a miracle right then, some sort of deus ex machina or brave knight there to protect Jisung’s honor. 

How sickening. 

“Here you are, you enjoy that for me, okay?” Jisung gushed, gracefully sticking a straw into the customer’s drink and sliding it over to them. He pulled out his phone for a moment to check the time. Two hours had passed already, yet if you asked him to name a single drink he had just made he wouldn’t be able to tell you. The bartender shoved the phone back into his pocket and rubbed the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. You would think having the door open at all times would let some air circulate throughout the bar, but no such thing happened. Felix was closer to the door than Jisung was, which made it that much harder to feel any of the breeze. Not to mention the constant circle of goons surrounding him. Things were a little calm right then, though, so he wasn’t too uncomfortable.

Jisung leaned the small of his back against the counter and closed his eyes briefly. To nobody’s surprise, all he could picture was Changbin again. Wait. All he could picture was Changbin. As a matter of fact, Jisung wasn’t sure when but at some point he’d completely blocked out the part of the memory that was the fight from last night. Quite literally, the sole picture in his head was one of the smiling face Jisung had seen outside many times from his spot at the bar, though never closer than that. 

“Are you kidding? Come on, already, I’m tryna order a drink here!” A male voice bellowed, causing Jisung’s eyes to dart open. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, that was totally my fault. I completely zoned out for a second there. What can I get you?”

“Yeah, well, wake up, dumplin’, you’ve got a job to do.” The man settled down into the barstool, crossing his arms over the counter. “Let me get a rum and coke. And don’t put the lime on the side, I hate that shit.” 

Jisung nodded and murmured another haste apology. He made the drink in record time, feeling much more on edge now that he had let his daydreams get in the way of his work. Why did this keep happening? It felt as if all he knew to do anymore was get distracted from his job. He wanted it to end, desperately. 

When he brought the cocktail to the customer, he grabbed it and walked away from the bar, wordlessly leaving his cash on the counter. Jisung took it and went to store it in their lockbox. Where previously Changbin had been all that was on his mind, now he could only think about the absolute ass he had just made out of himself. To make matters worse, he wasn’t even sure which one he preferred, though his bets were on the latter. At least that didn’t make him question his entire existence. 

A while went by, more customers came and went, and Jisung still wasn’t serving with his usual spunk. It was as if all the energy and passion he’d ever had towards bartending had gone right out the door along with the guy Changbin beat the shit out of. 

Ah. So it all came full-circle. 

Before he could even curse his own brain for being the way that it was, Jisung was startled by a hand on his shoulder. 

“Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me,” he exclaimed, expecting to see Felix standing next to him. Instead he was met with the stern look on Chan’s face and a borderline painful squeeze where his hand was. 

“Let’s talk in my office.” 

Chan turned around without waiting for Jisung to reply. The latter was left with no choice but to follow him, responding to Felix’s confused stare with one of his own, and a shrug as he walked behind the older male. 

Once they walked in, Chan shut the door. He didn’t ask Jisung to sit, simply walked over to the front of his desk and leaned against it, releasing a sigh while resting his hands on the tabletop behind him. Jisung stayed standing right in between the two chairs he and Changbin had sat in that one time. 

_ Seriously, even now? That wasn’t even a good memory, he called me a whore that day!  _ Jisung mentally screamed at his own train of thought. 

“Jisung. Are you listening?”   
  


He nodded. 

“It doesn’t really seem like it. Okay whatever. Do you know who I just talked to?” Chan pointed behind him with his thumb. 

“No,” Jisung replied curtly. He could feel how wide his eyes were getting and silently cursed himself. It was a habit he couldn’t get rid of. If he could master a poker face the way Minho had seemed to whenever he talked to Chan, he’d be content. 

“A customer. Who told  _ me  _ that he found  _ you  _ zoning out while he was trying to order a drink,” Chan said. “Is that true?”

Jisung knew there was no way he could lie his way out of this one. He shifted his weight onto his right leg, nodding. 

Chan scoffed and glimpsed at the floorboards. “Great, okay,” he muttered, then electing to look Jisung right in the eye. “Let me just be straightforward for a minute. What is wrong with you? First you get a customer pissed at you to the point that Changbin had to step in and contain him. Now you’re all ditzy. What the fuck is going on, Jisung? What’s your issue?” 

His words shot out at Jisung, each one stinging him more than the last. He began to feel a pang in his chest, as if the threads that were previously holding his heart together had finally snapped. Well, it was only a matter of time, right? 

“I — I don’t really know. But, Chan, that guy Changbin hit, he was asking me for my number. All I did was turn him down, you know I don’t give customers my number.”

“No, I honestly don’t know anything about that. In fact I assumed you’d fucked half the customers by this point, considering how much of a flirt you are.” Chan mumbled the last part, but it wasn’t anywhere quiet enough for Jisung to miss. 

“Well, it’s true isn’t it?” Chan continued when Jisung failed to say anything in response. “That’s what Changbin told me, y’know. That the only reason anyone shows up here is to see you, my  _ boytoy  _ is what he called you, I believe.”

Jisung remembered that. He’d also heard Changbin say it, moments before he ran into him downstairs and insulted him. 

Chan pressed on, “I guess I should be thanking you, huh? That’s what you’d want, isn’t it? But I won’t, for one simple reason. Do you know what that is?” He didn’t wait for Jisung to respond. “Because that means you hold all the power. You could make or break me. And when you denied that customer to the point my bouncer had to step in and intervene, you cost me money.” 

“Wait, are you saying I should sleep with the customers?” Jisung sputtered.

“It wouldn’t bother you, would it? It’s not like you’re loyal to anyone, god knows you haven’t been to me.” 

“What does that even mean? I thought you liked that I flirt with the customers, I thought that was part of my job, you know, the job  _ you  _ gave me.”

“Don’t even get me started, all that praise I gave you and you have yet to put out. I mean, fuck, baby, what’s it gonna take to get some ass? Because I honestly just don’t think it’s worth it anymore.” 

Jisung had no idea how the conversation had shifted to that, but he wasn’t having it. All of his pent up emotions from the past weeks were starting to bubble up and rise to the surface, and he wasn’t about to let them go unheard. “Is that all I am to you? ‘Some ass?’ So it totally wouldn’t make a difference if I, say, left right now and never came back to work? Right?” His hand rested on the doorknob behind him. 

That seemed to grab Chan’s attention. His eyes darted from Jisung’s hand on the doorknob to his eyes. “You don’t have to do that, sweetie. Look, I’m sorry, alright? We can talk about it more if you want. You know you’re more than that to me, I need you here.” 

“Hm. You know, that gives me all the more reason to leave.” Without listening to his protests, Jisung yanked the door open and ran down the stairs, Chan shouting every pet name he could think of after him. 

* * *

Jisung stomped out of the bar, passing everyone and everything without ever looking back. He rushed out the front door, startling the guests that were about to enter, as well as Changbin, who watched in confusion as the bartender went down the block and around the corner, out of his sight. 

He walked about halfway down that road, stopping once he was sure he wasn’t being followed. Jisung pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Felix.

can you bring me my bag? i’m outside, right around the corner

It didn’t take nearly as long as he’d expected for his friend to text back. 

lixie: yeah ofc

Running a hand through his hair, Jisung released a long exhale. His back pressed against the red brick wall of the building next to the bar felt uncomfortable, though he appreciated how cooling it was on his skin. He felt like he’d been burning from the inside out in there. Even then, in the crisp night air he began to feel his face warm up again as Chan’s words played over and over in his head. Repetition seemed to be a recurring theme in his mind tonight. Ironic. 

Jisung had never felt quite as relieved as when he saw Felix come jogging around the corner carrying his bag on his shoulder. 

“Hey,” the younger boy panted. “Sorry that took a while, I had to get Minho to watch the bar. What happened?”

“Don’t really wanna talk about it if I’m honest. I love you, though, I’ll call you later and we can talk. Once I can wrap my own head around all of this.” Jisung looked down at his feet as he took his bag. 

“Oh. Wait, you’re not like, leaving for good, are you?”

“No, not at all. I definitely can’t be here tonight is all I know.” 

Felix nodded solemnly. It felt like within the short time he’d gotten closer to Jisung, everything had started to go wrong for him. He was just glad he could be there to help him with all the weight he always seemed to carry. 

“Okay. Well I should get back inside, I don’t think Minho knows the last thing about bartending,” Felix chuckled. 

Jisung mustered a smile and ruffled Felix’s hair, then watched him hurry back towards the bar. He sighed, fishing his keys out of his bag and continued down the street towards his car. 

On his way back into the bar, Changbin stopped Felix. 

“Dude, not now, Minho is floundering in there,” the latter said while eyeing his coworker inside, who was apparently struggling to make small talk with the customers looking for Jisung. 

“Wait a second, I just wanna know what that whole thing was about. Where’d Jisung go?” Changbin asked, glancing over Felix’s shoulder as if he expected to see the smaller boy with him. 

Felix shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell me. All I saw was him going upstairs with Chan. He came out a few minutes later looking pretty torn.”

“Fuck,” the bouncer cursed. “No one pays attention to anything here.” 

“I’ll kill you,” said Felix, scrunching his nose at him. “You’re not the one who’s been attending to his every beck and call. Not that I’m complaining,” he added with his hands raised to either side of his head. 

“Whatever, freckle boy. Get back to work.” 

Felix rolled his eyes. He held back from pointing out that Changbin was the whole reason he  _ wasn’t  _ working, since his priority at the moment was to save his customers from Minho’s incompetence. 

Changbin stayed in his spot, left to contemplate Jisung’s departure. He should have known it was Chan’s fault. When were things  _ not  _ Chan’s fault at the bar? 

After a few moments of him stirring in his own frustration, Minho stepped outside looking like he, too, was going through it. 

“Oh. My god,” he simply stated. 

“I know you probably want to complain, but do you know what happened to Jisung?”

Minho shrugged in the same way Felix had, surprisingly not pissed that Changbin had stopped him from venting. “I was coming to ask you the same thing. I was doing my rounds when suddenly Felix ran over to me and asked me to watch the bar for a second. He didn’t even let me say yes, deadass just ran upstairs. I had no choice.” 

“It was Chan,” Changbin said. “Felix said he saw Jisung go upstairs with him and then he came running out all fucked up.”

“Like, physically?!” 

“No, you idiot, emotionally. Chan must have said something to set him off. I just want to know what . . .”

“He’s been a little off lately,” Minho mused. “You think it has anything to do with that?”   
  


The younger shook his head. “No way to tell. He’s always had a thing for Chan, y’know. For him to actually get upset at him, it must have been something serious. Or maybe,” he trailed off.

“. . . Maybe?” 

“It’s just, I remembered something. Did I tell you about how we ran into each other at the mall?”

“You don’t tell me anything.”   
  


“That is simply not true. Anyways, we did. And I had been feeling like an asshole for all the shit I said to him so I was going to apologize. But then he apologized first. It totally caught me off guard, cause like, he had nothing to apologize for, y’know? And I told him that, along with one other thing that might have been what sent him into this downwards spiral he’s been having.”   
  
Minho stared at him expectantly. “Changbin, as much as I enjoy talking to you, guessing games aren’t my strong suit. Could you  _ not  _ leave me waiting?”   
  


“I was trying to pause for dramatic effect like you do when you tell stories. You know what, forget it. Basically, I told him it wasn’t his fault that Chan groomed him and he got all weird and spacey and suddenly said he had to leave. Then we came to work and the shit with that jackass Hyunjin happened. That probably didn’t help Jisung’s state of mind.” 

“Woah, woah, woah, hold on,” Minho sputtered. “You told him what?”

Changbin would have explained were it not for Chan coming outside right at that moment. He had a glare on his face that solidified what Changbin had thought about him and Jisung getting into a serious argument. He gave Minho such a look of contempt it made Changbin feel like socking him in the jaw right there. 

“Why the hell are you out here again? Am I not paying you to be taking care of things inside?” Chan spat out. 

Minho put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. “Okay, first off, I don’t appreciate your tone. Second, I came to ask Changbin why Jisung left. A very relevant and reasonable concern to have, if you ask me.” 

The older man turned to completely face Minho. “Well the strangest thing about that is  _ nobody  _ asked you.”

“Okay but you just did, so.”   
  


Changbin wondered if he’d ever have the kind of recklessness Minho did. It wasn’t like he was afraid of Chan, he just would rather not get into it with him at every second of the day, a concern that Minho  _ didn’t  _ seem to have.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve, you know that? I could fire your ass right now.” Chan was beginning to sound like he actually would do something like that. He was matching Minho’s careless nature, but it would only hurt him, Changbin knew.

“On what grounds?” There was something different about Minho now, too. Usually his only goal was to fuck with Chan in any way possible. Now it was like he was really trying to get under his skin. 

“On the grounds that you keep letting little-ass kids in here!” Chan screamed. Minho lost his composure, letting his arms drop to either side. “What, you thought I didn’t know? Please. I’m not as stupid as you might think I am. I’ve seen that red-haired kid and his little sidekick here like five times now. Are you trying to get me shut down or something?” 

At that, Changbin furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you serious? Like I’m really asking because there’s no way you’re serious,” he said incredulously. 

Chan looked at him and scowled. “The fuck are you on about?” 

“Oh, poor me, my bar is going to get shut down because one of my employees slipped up  _ once  _ and completely handled the situation every other time. It’s totally not like I had a minor working for me as a bartender for two years, in which I also continuously buttered him up in the hopes that he would sleep with me once he turned legal,” Changbin mocked, pretending to cry with his fists twisting downwards under his eyes and his bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “If anyone was ever going to get you shut down, it was you, Chan,” he added in his normal voice. 

Minho was confused for a moment, but then his face lit up as if he was looking at a question on a test that was definitely on the study guide. His moment of revelation was short-lived, for Chan and Changbin were beginning to look like they would fight again. Before any of that could happen Minho placed a hand on Changbin’s shoulder, grounding him. 

“Okay, let’s not shout about this when anyone could wander over and hear. Chan, that stuff about the kids can stay between you and me, we can talk about it in your office. Is that alright with you?” Minho asked with a sense of caution to all his words. 

Chan looked from Changbin to Minho and nodded slowly. “Fine. I didn’t have any reason to be out here anyways. Just needed my minute of fresh air. Seems I can’t even get that anymore,” he added with a final glower at Changbin. The bouncer returned the gesture and watched as his coworker forced their boss back into the bar. 

* * *

Felix climbed the steps quickly, wondering if he’d be able to catch Jisung still awake. Not that he tended to go to bed early, but also an early bedtime to them would be five in the morning. Jisung had called him about an hour ago telling him he could come over, but it took Felix a while to get from the bar to his apartment. He stopped at Jisung’s door and panted, throwing a hateful glance at the five flights of stairs he’d had to traverse. He used the knocker, lifting it and letting it fall two times. 

With his ear pressed to the door, Felix could hear faint voices coming from what he assumed was the television. Could Jisung have fallen asleep in his living room? He was about to knock again, but the door opened just as the idea came to him. 

Jisung looked . . . soft was the only word Felix could think of to describe him. His hair was ruffled up like he had indeed just woken up, and his cheeks were all puffy. They were usually like that, but they were especially puffed up right then. His eyes were, too, though that wasn’t the only sign that Jisung had been crying. His face was illuminated by the hall light, his apartment itself lacking any illumination besides that of the TV. Felix could faintly make out the trails left behind by his tears on those swollen, pink cheeks of his. The cheerful characters on his Hunter x Hunter pajamas felt out of place in the gloomy atmosphere of Jisung’s apartment. 

“Hi, Sungie. You feeling any better?” 

He shook his head. 

“Yeah? I guess I shouldn’t have asked. Can I come in?” 

Jisung didn’t say anything, simply moved out of the way, leaving the door open as his only sign that Felix could, in fact, come in. He shuffled sadly back to the couch, his feet dragging across the stiff, beige carpet. Felix locked the door behind him and left his shoes next to it. When he walked further into the apartment he turned to see that Jisung was watching some sort of cooking competition show., though the volume was turned a little too low for his own liking. That didn’t seem to matter to Jisung. 

“Mind if I sit?” Felix asked as he approached the couch. 

“You know you don’t have to ask.”

“Yeah, but. I don’t know. Just don’t wanna overstep any boundaries.”

Jisung didn’t reply to that. He pulled his knees towards his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on one. It really didn’t feel right seeing him like this. Sure, his personality was a bit played up for the customers at the bar, but Jisung was still a very cheerful person. To see him look like the human equivalent of a stormy day was almost unsettling. 

The voices on the TV went on, one contestant talking about how they’d completely ruined a sauce or something like that. Felix only caught the second half of the sentence. “Can I ask you what happened tonight?” he asked gently, testing the waters. 

“That depends,” Jisung said. “Are you gonna want the whole story, or  _ just  _ what happened tonight?”

“Whatever you want to tell me, I guess.” 

The light from the TV reflected onto Jisung’s blue hair vividly. All the colors that appeared on the screen could be seen on his locks, shifting as he moved to grab the remote and mute the program entirely. “Chan got a complaint from a customer today.” 

Felix recoiled. He wasn’t even sure customers knew where Chan’s office, let alone that they could go inside and talk to him. Could they do that? 

“Yeah. I know, I was just as confused as you. In my two years of working there,” Jisung chuckled as if he was remembering something suddenly, “no one has ever placed a complaint about me. It’s stupid, you know, how highly I thought of myself because of him. He had me convinced I was the only person in the world who mattered. At least, to him. And for a while that was all I cared about, mattering to  _ him.  _ I was so fucking dumb, Felix. How could I not have noticed what he was doing to me?” 

“What do you mean? What did he do?” Felix sat up straight, looking like he was ready to march back to the bar and confront Chan right then and there if Jisung told him anything he didn’t like. 

“That day at the mall, when we saw Changbin, he told me something that’s been on my mind forever. He said Chan groomed me. And it was like, up until then, that thought had never even occurred to me. Why would it? That’s the whole point of grooming. You don’t realize it's happening,” Jisung said. He tilted his head down, eyeing the characters on his shirt for a second before looking back up at his friend. “These past few weeks have been a bunch of puzzle pieces to me, and Changbin saying that was all it took for everything to start coming together and making sense,” he said softly, like he was admitting something against his own wishes. “He’s been on my mind, you know.” 

“Chan? Well yeah, it’s a lot to process after what Changbin said.”

Jisung shook his head. “No, Changbin. It’s just . . . when he punched that guy who was bothering me, I felt all of the feelings I’d built up for Chan over the years all at once.” His eyes were trained on Felix as if he was trying to make sure he understood the gravity of that statement. “I was in love with Chan, Lix. I mean, I _am_ in love with him. Probably. Just because he treated me like absolute shit today doesn’t mean my piece of shit brain will catch up and stop having feelings for him. That was what he wanted, for me to fall for him just so he could . . . y’know,” he muttered. “But Changbin hasn’t done that to me. The only problem is he hasn’t really done anything for me besides hate me, up until recently, that is. Am I seriously this easy? I’ve already got feelings for him?”

“No, Sungie, that doesn’t make you easy. You’re just feeling a lot of things right now, it’d be easy for you to get confused somewhere along the way. You’re overwhelmed,” Felix said as he reached over and patted Jisung’s knee. 

“I am super confused. But not about how I feel towards Changbin. I’m confused because I keep falling for people who’ve hurt me. I mean, is there something wrong with me? Am I secretly a masochist? Or did Chan’s grooming completely break me down so that I’ll never know what it’s like to actually fall in love with someone on my own?” With every question, Jisung’s voice became more frantic until he was a sobbing mess.

Felix scooted over on the couch and wrapped his arms around Jisung. He was like a bundle in his arms, burying his head into Felix’s chest and holding onto one of his arms with both hands. They stayed like that for a while, Felix rubbing circles on Jisung’s back and encouraging him to let everything out. Once he calmed down, they had repositioned so their legs were off the couch and Jisung’s head was on Felix’s shoulder, their gazes pointed at the television screen. 

“Sorry. I’ve been breaking down like that all night.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Jisung hesitated. “Tell me your opinion.”

“About what?”

“Do you think I’ll never really love someone? Just grow some sort of emotional attachment because they’ve given me some form of attention or care?”

Felix had to think about it. It was a difficult thing Jisung was dealing with, something he’d never seen anyone go through before. He didn’t want to give him any bad advice. “All I can say is this: you need to think about the people you’re pinning against each other here. Chan blamed you for something completely out of your control and still expected to get you to sleep with him. Changbin apologized for his treatment toward you, then protected you from the very same asshole Chan accused you of denying. If you ask me . . . one of those sounds like someone I’d fall in love with.” 

Jisung sniffled. They stayed on the couch like that until the sun came up, both of them eventually falling asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt @byeoIbin (capital i, not a lowercase l) and remember acab !!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy this chapter! sorry if things start to feel rushed, i'm honestly trying to wrap this fic up soon so i can work on another one skjdjsjdjs

When Jisung threatened to never come back he’d wanted to achieve one thing and one thing only. He wanted Chan to admit just how helpless he was without him. Jisung took three days off, and in those three days he heard from Felix that Chan waited for him to show up again, only to close the entire bar when he realized he’d never show up. This happened all three days that Jisung was gone. 

“You’d think he’d stop trying by now,” Jisung had said to Felix over the phone one night.

“Yeah . . . But, Jisung. You  _ are  _ going to come back, right?”

Jisung sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I am. I have no choice. Not going back would do me just as much good as never leaving. If I don’t say anything to Chan it just looks like I ran away.”

He tried to remind himself of that as he stepped into the bar tonight. 

To Jisung’s surprise, Chan was not sitting on the steps, or at the bar, or anywhere he would’ve expected if it was true that he’d been waiting every day. He knew he was there, though. The lights were on behind the bar, just as they always were whenever Chan showed up. He liked to fix himself a drink before retreating to his office most days. 

If Chan was there, that meant that Changbin was, too. Chan required the bouncer to open with him because he didn’t want any “hooligans” thinking they could get away with anything just because the bar wasn’t officially open yet. Jisung didn’t see Changbin by the door, though he figured he was in the backroom. As he climbed the steps he confirmed this, but didn’t say a word to his coworker. His concerns lay elsewhere. 

From the moment he opened the door to Chan’s office he regretted it. He was typing something on his computer when Jisung walked in, his eyes immediately focusing on him at the doorway as his hands came to a halt over the keyboard. “Huh,” Chan said with a grin, “And to think I was just about to look into finding a replacement for you.” He turned the monitor of his computer so Jisung could see it. Chan had seemingly been in the middle of writing a post on a job board. “Now that you’re back, though, I don’t think I’ll be needing this.” He made a big show of sliding his mouse over to the exit button on the internet browser, and clicked.

“Chan,” Jisung said after giving himself a mini pep talk in his head. “I’m here to get an apology. The way you treated me last time I was here was unacceptable and it really made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about you.”

In the next room over, Changbin paused in the middle of putting his bag in his tiny locker. He walked over to the adjacent wall and pressed his ear up against it, hoping to hear more.

“That so? What was it you thought you knew about me?” Chan said, and Changbin could hear the smirk in his voice. 

“That’s not relevant. All I want is for you to tell me you’re sorry and admit that you were wrong.”   
  


“No, I think it’s pretty relevant. How ‘bout this: you tell me whatever your preconceived notions of me were, and I’ll apologize. Deal?”

Jisung took a long, deep breath. He wished he could summon up all his strength to stand his ground in that moment, but all he got was a sensation like his legs would turn to jelly if he didn’t find something to say. “I thought you were a good guy. In fact I realized the truth a little bit before you so rudely called me a slut, when I heard from the other employees how shittily you treat them. It shocked me, because all you’d ever done was treat me well. I couldn’t believe you’d ever do such awful things, but now I’ve not only heard them, I’ve  _ experienced  _ them. And for that I think you need to apologize to me and to the others.”

Changbin’s eyes widened. He remembered the way he’d yelled at Jisung that one night, blamed him for the things Chan did. All his guilt washed right back up and made him want to go back in time and beat up that version of himself. 

“Well that wasn’t part of the deal. As far as I’m concerned those other pricks haven’t done anything for me that warrants an apology. You on the other hand,” Chan sat forward in his chair. “You came back. Saved me from having to pay some other bimbo to do the job you do for nothing more than minimum wage and attention. And for that, I should thank you. But instead I’ll just give you what you want and let you get back to work.”

Jisung didn’t let any emotion show on his face, despite how surprised he was he’d actually gotten this far. 

“Alright, here goes. I’m sorry, Jisung. I said some crappy stuff and I didn’t mean to hurt you. I should have heard you out.” 

It was as half-assed as half-assed gets. He made direct eye contact with Jisung and he  _ sounded  _ sincere, but something behind Chan’s eyes gave away his true feelings. 

“I want to believe you,” Jisung said.

“Then believe me. It’s the easier thing to do.”   
  


“God damn it, Chan, this isn’t about easy!” The younger exclaimed, shocking himself and the two people listening, only one of which he could see recoil. Changbin was still in the backroom, eyes going wider than humanly possible. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jisung was capable of raising his voice? And at Chan, nonetheless. “Apologizing to people isn’t supposed to be easy! You’re supposed to genuinely feel bad, it’s supposed to make you uncomfortable because you realize what you did wrong.”

“Who are you to say I’m not uncomfortable right now?”

“You definitely don’t look it. I’d sooner guess you were taking a walk in the park than apologizing to someone you mistreated.”

“Well I gave you your apology, so I don’t know what else you want from me.” 

Jisung was silent. He was getting nowhere with Chan, he knew that. But it wouldn’t feel right if he left. He’d still feel like he was running away, even if he did get Chan to even utter the word “sorry.” No, he had to get something out of this. Something real, with meaning. Jisung’s eyes lit up as an idea dawned on him. It was crazy, but if it worked it’d be just what he needed. “Give Changbin, Minho, and Felix raises,” he said, straightening his back.

For the first time since he’d walked in, Chan lost his composure. “What? Why would I do that? What does that even have to do with any of this?”

“I’ll take that in place of an apology. You may not be able to feel real, human emotion, but I know what you can do and that’s pay your employees more for the work you make them do under such shitty conditions. I know you have the money for it, this bar gets more and more popular by the day, you said so yourself. And I know that’s because of me, so if you want to keep the money coming, you need to find a reason to get me to stay. This can be your reason,” Jisung concluded with a grin. 

Chan looked about ready to have an aneurysm. His fist was clenched on top of his desk, making the veins on his arms and hand pop even more than usual. His anger seemed to be building, rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, ready to boil over. Then, all at once, he let it go. Chan released his hand and let out a long, drawn out exhale. “Fine. But that stays between me and them. I don’t need you going around telling them you did them a favor.” 

“That’s fine with me. Better, actually. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should probably start getting ready for opening.” Jisung turned and opened the door, feeling a tremendous weight lift from his shoulders as soon as he made it out into the hallway and shut it behind him. 

Almost immediately after, though, Changbin stepped out of the backroom, startling Jisung, and blocked his path to the stairs. “Hey. What’d you go into Chan’s office for?” Changbin asked, doing his best to sound and look like he’d only been in there for the few minutes it took to put his belongings in his locker. 

“I don’t really feel like sharing. Even if I did, it’s not really any of your business. I have to get to work now, sorry.” Jisung didn’t look him in the eye once. He averted his gaze and shuffled away, hurrying down the stairs once Changbin moved out of his way.

Changbin stayed on the landing, staring at the door to Chan’s office. He had half a mind to barge in there and call him an ass for hurting Jisung. Honestly, after all the time he spent buttering him up he just suddenly chose to toss him aside and be just as much of a dick to him as he was to everyone else.  _ Does he still wanna get in his pants?  _ Changbin wondered.  _ Because this won’t get him anywhere.  _

The bouncer shook his head, walking down the stairs and out the door. He didn’t look at Jisung. Well, not directly, at least. He couldn’t escape seeing the boy in his peripheral vision, but even if he had looked at him it was clear Jisung didn’t want anything to do with Changbin at the moment. 

And could he really blame him?

As he stepped into the familiar nighttime air, Changbin thought about what he’d heard Jisung say. He’d thought Chan was a good guy until Changbin came and shattered that image for him. He wanted to think he did Jisung a favor by opening his eyes to the truth, but frankly, Changbin hadn’t been very nice about it, either. Or ever before, for that matter. From the moment he’d met Jisung all he thought about him was that he was annoying. Just a kid with no understanding of the real world, completely oblivious to the brainwashing Chan was subjecting him to. 

And yet he never did anything about it.

That was it. The main source of Changbin’s guilt. He’d tapped into it after yelling at Jisung that one day, which was why he actually apologized when he saw him at the mall. But even after that, the lingering feeling of something eating him up on the inside wouldn’t go away. Now he knew why. Throughout the two years that he’d known Jisung, he watched as Chan got closer and closer to his goal of making the younger boy fall for him. Sure, he never admitted it when Changbin questioned him but it was as clear as day what Chan’s intentions were. Regardless, it never even occurred to Changbin that he had the power to stop him. To help Jisung. 

How stupid he had been! To think that he had such a superiority complex every time he thought about what a bad person Chan was when in reality, he was no better. After all, what kind of person wouldn’t report a crime happening right in front of them? Changbin, apparently, considering he’d let his friend manipulate a minor for over a year. Terrible didn’t even begin to describe what kind of a person Changbin was. No, he was much more than that. An accomplice to such a vile, no-good piece of scum like Chan deserved nothing less than to go straight to hell. 

Changbin must have looked as bad as he felt, because when he finally noticed Minho and Felix standing in front of him, their expressions showed concern. “I think I’m just gonna head inside,” Felix said, quickly scurrying away. Minho blinked and scanned Changbin’s face. 

“Are you good? You look like you just got kicked in the nuts.” 

For the first time Changbin realized his face was all scrunched up in disgust, disdain for himself written all over it. He relaxed his face and swallowed hard. “Yeah. I’ve, uh, kinda got a stomach ache.”

Minho slowly nodded, clearly not believing a word his coworker said. “Right. You want me to get you a drink or something? I’ve got some painkillers in my bag, you think those’ll help?”

“No, thanks, I’m good. It’s probably just because I haven’t eaten anything in a few hours.”

“I’ve got a Reese’s in there, too. Want that?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Yeah.” Minho smiled and shuffled through his backpack, eventually pulling out the candy and handing it to Changbin. “Thanks,” the latter said. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Minho stepped inside the bar, but then turned around like he’d just remembered something. “I’ll be out here soon enough. With Jisung back, I don’t think Chan will have the energy to come yell at me,” he joked.

“You underestimate him.”   
  


“Maybe. See ya, though.” 

* * *

Later that week, Minho found himself strolling through the park, walking aimlessly as he gazed across the Han river. It was midday, so he had a good few more hours before he had to get ready for work. Taking walks like this was one of his favorite pastimes. He felt it really let him clear out his lungs from all the shitty air he breathed at the bar. 

As he looked around at all the people in the park, Minho spotted a familiar head of bright red hair. He squinted, but it was unnecessary. Standing by the river was Seungmin, looking off into the distance and skipping rocks. He looked like he’d jumped straight out of a teen coming-of-age movie. The solemn look on his face, the wind blowing through his hair, the rocks. 

Minho started towards the boy, but he soon noticed him approaching and panicked, his eyes widening as he immediately turned to run away. Fortunately, Minho was one step ahead and caught him before he could even start sprinting. “Wait! Jesus, your first instinct when you see me is to run? Way to make me look like a creep,” Minho said. 

“Can you blame me? The only interactions we’ve had were ones were I’d have been better off running away from you.”

“Okay now you’re really making me sound like a criminal, could you lower your voice, for crying out loud?” 

Seungmin shrugged Minho’s hand off of his shoulder. “Well, what do you want? Did you come over here to tell me I can’t legally skip rocks, either? Pretty sure I don’t need a fake for that, but alright,” he said sarcastically. 

“No. I just wanted to say hi. What are you doing here? And how come Jeongin isn’t with you?”

“Just cause he’s my best friend doesn’t mean I bring him everywhere with me. I came to spend some quiet time alone, get my thoughts together.”

“About?” 

The redhead gave Minho a side-eye like he was hoping there’d be no more questions. He sighed, then walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, accompanied by the elder. “Jeongin, actually. We had a couple of talks about our . . . relationship.”

Minho’s face lit up as he remembered the interaction he’d witnessed between the two boys last time they were at the bar. “Right! You guys, uh. Yeah. How’d that go?” 

Seungmin pursed his lips. He wouldn’t look at Minho, instead he chose to keep his eyes trained on the water in front of them. “I mean, fine, I guess. The general consensus is that we have feelings for each other and should do something about it.”

“So, like, date, right? That’s great!”

“Well, yes and no. He did ask me if I wanted to be . . . y’know. Boyfriends. But I said no.”

“What?! Why?!” Minho exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few passerbys. Seungmin glared at him. “Sorry, kind of out of pocket. Why, though? If you both like each other, why not be a couple?” 

“It’s just not that easy. I’d love to date him, but I don’t want him to have to deal with me. You said it yourself, I basically drag him around and make him go everywhere and do everything with me. I’m the definition of demanding.”

Minho had to think about that for a second. He felt bad. He didn’t think his words could carry that sort of meaning, at the time he only meant it in the context of sneaking into the bar. “Yeah, but then Jeongin said he wanted to spend time around you. That’s why he always agreed to it.” 

“Didn’t give him much of a choice, though, did I?” Seungmin picked up a small rock from under the bench and hucked it into the river. “Can we stop talking about this? It gives me a migraine thinking about it.”

The elder nodded and they sat for a while, neither saying a word. The sun was starting to bear down on Minho. Sure, it was winter, but when you stayed in one place under the sun for too long you could really start to feel it. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he began after thinking of ways to break the silence, “Why do you keep trying to get into the bar? You know I’ll always be there.” 

Seungmin shrugged. He leaned back and rested his elbows on the backrest of the bench they sat on. “I’m stubborn, I guess. Plus, it’s kind of funny seeing you flip your shit as soon as you spot us.” For the first time since Minho had seen him, Seungmin cracked a smile. It was small, but it was there. It almost made Minho forget what he had just said.

“Hey! I flip my shit out of love and concern,” he retaliated. Seungmin raised an eyebrow at him then chuckled. Minho felt a burst of warmth in his chest knowing he had made the boy feel better. He was still curious, though. It wasn’t just about seeing him get pissed all the time and he knew it, he just needed to know what it  _ actually  _ was. “Why a bar?” Minho asked after a few seconds of deliberation. 

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you want to go to a bar so badly? I mean, aside from drinking, because clearly that’s something you want to do, judging by the way you threw back that drink last time like it was water. How do you even do this shit, anyway? How do you manage to consistently sneak out in the middle of the night and run off to bars? What do your parents think of this, do they know?” 

Seungmin’s expression darkened again. “My parents couldn’t give less of a shit about what I do, even if they tried,” he answered curtly. 

“Huh?”

“They don’t care. I mean, I don’t know if they know, but even if they did it wouldn’t matter. They haven’t paid me a passing glance since I was like, four.” 

Minho furrowed his brows at that. “What do you mean, how could they not care? You’re their son.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I’m just a kid who happens to live in the same house as them. A kid who they have no problem terrorizing, so I just stay out of their way. It’s better for me to be out of that house, anyways. The only time I’m around is to sleep, and even then, I’ve started spending the nights at Jeongin’s place, instead. Like I said, they don’t care. They won’t check on me. If they saw I was gone and never came back they’d be grateful.” The red-haired boy blinked rapidly before quickly turning away. Minho felt like he’d just been punched in the stomach. He held out his hand, debating putting it on Seungmin’s shoulder, but he decided against it. Rightfully so, because as soon as he drew his hand back, Seungmin stood up. He rubbed the back of his hand against his cheek then turned ever so slightly towards Minho. “I think I’m gonna go now. It was . . . nice talking to you, or whatever.”

He walked away before Minho could even find his voice. 

* * *

Since Jisung began to learn Chan’s true nature, he’d elected to drive himself to and from work. Now that he thought about it, it was weird that he didn’t already do that. All because he wanted to spend as much time with Chan as possible. 

Talk about desperate. 

_ No, actually, he manipulated me. It wasn’t my fault and I need to stop acting like it was a normal crush,  _ Jisung said to himself. He felt that he’d grown a lot since his talk with Felix. Letting all of his true emotions pour out at once like that had a very cleansing effect on him, apparently. Now he often found himself shutting down his intrusive thoughts with more positive, reassuring ones. Needless to say, it was really helping. Hell, he’d managed to actually confront Chan. He was basically on top of the world. 

“Ugh, we’ve  _ got  _ to sweep these floors soon! It’s filthy over here!” Felix exclaimed from under a table. “Actually, scratch that—we’ve gotta throw the whole floor away.”

Jisung laughed. “What are you even doing down there?

“I saw a guy leave his gum under the table and I figured if I got to it while it was still fresh then hey, that’s one less piece of gum under the table. Now that I’m here, though, I really don’t think it mattered. The underside of this table is now more gum than wood.” Felix and Jisung both twisted their faces in disgust as the younger stood and walked back over to the bar. 

“Bold of you to assume these tables are made out of actual wood.” 

“Yeah I guess you’re right.” Felix moved to the sink and began rinsing his hands of the contents under the table.

Jisung watched him for a moment. There was a lot he wanted to say to Felix. Mainly, he wanted to express his gratitude. No one else had been there for Jisung the way Felix had, and he was sure the younger would continue to be there for him as he figured out more and more about himself and the people around him. Just as he felt the courage to say something rise up, Felix looked down at his watch and gasped. “When did it get this late? Ugh, I’ve  _ got  _ to get some sleep. Are you all good to close?” he asked. 

The elder nodded a little too quickly. “Yeah! Go on, you should rest. I’ve got everything handled here.” 

Felix smiled, then went upstairs to grab his stuff out of the backroom. Jisung could do nothing but stay behind the bar and begin stacking the remaining cups left on the counter. He placed them all in the sink and when he turned around, Minho was standing right across the bar, looking disheveled. Jisung jumped, bumping his tailbone on the countertop behind him. He hadn’t seen Minho all night, just assumed he was there because he always was. Now that he was right in front of him, to say he looked like he’d been through hell was an understatement. 

“Jesus. What happened to you? Have you been working like this?” Jisung said as he walked around the bar to examine his coworker. His normally crisp, wrinkle-free black blazer looked more like Minho had been sleeping in the back of a dirty taxi using it as a blanket. His shirt was untucked, his jeans not cuffed, and his hair wasn’t even styled. Had anyone ever seen Minho like this? Jisung couldn’t fathom the thought of it. Minho was someone who always looked good, no matter where he was going, and he made sure people knew that. 

Minho’s face wasn’t helping his case. He had clearly been crying, his eyes puffy and cheeks tear-stained. He sniffled before suddenly moving forward and wrapping his arms around Jisung. The smaller male blinked. He slowly raised his arms around Minho’s body and awkwardly patted his back. “Hey, it’s alright. I don’t know what I’m consoling you for, but it’ll be okay.” 

Just as abruptly as he had initiated the embrace, Minho tore himself from Jisung so he could hold him at arm’s length. “Will you make me a drink?” He asked with a look in his eyes that could be described as nothing but desperation. 

“Uh, it’s closing, we’re not supposed to make drinks past—”

“Please. I need to get something off my mind.” 

“We can just talk about it if you want.”   
  


“Over a drink?”

Jisung nervously glanced past Minho, towards the stairs. If Chan found out . . . 

Oh, fuck it. 

“Yeah, okay. Sit down, I’ll get you something. Any preference?”

Minho shook his head as he sat. When Jisung went back to his spot behind the bar he noticed for the first time that Changbin was watching everything from the door. They met eyes, but Jisung quickly looked away and got to making Minho his drink. 

A few seconds later, Felix came bounding down the stairs, looking excited to go home. “See ya, Jisung, Bye Minho, Later Changbin!” He said to them, not even paying a second glance to the situation at hand. He was out of the bar before anyone could even respond to his goodbyes, though maybe it was for the best, Jisung thought. Until he remembered he was now alone with Changbin and a disgruntled Minho. Not to mention Chan, who would no doubt be coming downstairs soon to lock up. Suddenly having Felix around was all he wanted. But he wouldn’t call him back. 

“Alright, here we go. I didn’t want to move too much of the liquor since Felix was in charge of putting it away, I don’t want to get him in trouble. It’s a gin and tonic.” 

Before Jisung was done speaking, Minho grabbed the glass and downed nearly half of it in one go. As he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, Changbin approached them and sat next to Minho. He and Jisung shared another one-second glance.

“Minho, you still haven’t told me what happened. You can’t just come to work looking like absolute crap and not say a word about it. Come on, what’s going on?” Changbin asked. Jisung eyed him, but the bouncer didn’t meet his gaze that time, as he was too busy trying to get Minho to look at him. 

_ He really has a nice side profile.  _

Jisung shook his head. What he wasn’t about to do was continue entertaining the notion that he had feelings for Changbin. That was water under the bridge, as far as he was concerned. Even if Felix made him feel better about it, it didn’t mean it was any less of a fucked up thing for his stupid little heart to put him through. 

“Yeah, Minho, what’s up?” The bartender finally decided to focus on the matter at hand: his coworker being in hysterics. 

Minho was staring into the void of his glass. The ice swirled around, making him dizzy. Or maybe that was just more tears distorting his visions. “You guys remember those kids who snuck in here? Changbin, I know you know but . . . Jisung might not.” 

“No, I remember. Vaguely, but I definitely remember. Some kid asking about rocks in his drink, right? That’s the most I processed before Felix took over,” Jisung said, and right after he did, Minho broke into more tears. Both Changbin and Jisung froze, eyes wide. They looked at each other for real this time, having a conversation through their stares. Changbin looked like he was trying to say  _ “Look what you did to him!” _ so Jisung attempted to telepathically respond  _ “All I did was say I remember the kid!”  _

Changbin reached around and rubbed Minho’s back. “Hey, uh, it’s okay. Let it out.” He sounded about as comforting as a bed of nails. Jisung scoffed at Changbin and leaned down so he was eye-level with Minho. 

“Hey, look at me. Calm down. What about the kids?” He looked right into Minho’s teary eyes, but it was no use. The elder couldn’t get any words out without breaking down again. Jisung frowned as he stood back up. He took one last glance at Changbin before deciding it wouldn’t hurt to ask him what he knew. After all, Minho was much too busy crying into his gin. 

Changbin was caught by surprise when Jisung leaned in and started talking to him. He instinctively drew back, but the bartender glared at him so he moved back in. “How long has he been like this?” Jisung whispered.

“All night. I mean, not completely like that . . . I thought I saw some tears throughout the night, but I didn’t want to say anything. He came to stand outside with me like he usually does, but he looked like a mess and I figured, I don’t know, maybe just a bad night.” Changbin looked at Minho, then back at Jisung. “I’m not great at consoling people.”

“I can tell. Look, I know we’re not friends and you think I’m a nuisance, but whatever made him react like this, it can’t be good. You’re closer to him than I am, so will you please stay here with me and help comfort him? Just do the best you can.”

“Wait, I don’t—” Changbin sighed. There was no point in trying to explain whatever it was he was feeling towards Jisung right then. Hell, not even he was sure. “Yeah. I’ll stay here. I would’ve anyways.” 

Jisung nodded. He stood back up and looked at Changbin, waiting. The bouncer didn’t move. After a handful of silent yet somehow strongly worded gestures, Changbin understood. “Oh! Right.” He scooted in his seat, turning his whole body towards Minho. “Hey, buddy. Um, how are you feeling?” he asked, checking with Jisung to see if he was doing well. The younger urged him on, but Changbin still wasn’t sure where to go from there. He thought for a second, focused on Minho’s sobs, then it came to him. “Just take deep breaths,” he said. “You’re breathing too fast and too hard right now, it’s not good for you. Try to slow it down, like this.” He began to inhale and exhale, holding each breath for a few seconds before letting it out. Minho looked at him, sniffling and letting out short sobs that made it sound more like he was hyperventilating. 

It was a good idea, Jisung realized. He was impressed. Changbin was trying and succeeding in getting Minho to breathe normally again. All Jisung could wonder the whole time was how something so sensible had occurred to the bouncer. He didn’t exactly seem like the brightest, if you asked him, but maybe that was just because all Jisung ever thought of him as was the muscle of the bar. Could you blame him? Changbin wasn’t exactly friendly looking, and Jisung had now seen him knock a guy out right in front of him. 

There came those thoughts again. 

“Jisung?” 

“What?” 

“You asked me about the kids.”

Jisung blinked himself back into the real world. He hadn’t even realized it was Minho who was talking. “Oh. Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just . . . sorry, go on. What about them?”

Changbin watched Jisung, noticed the way he’d been zoned out with his gaze trained on Changbin’s face. He wondered if he’d noticed he was staring at him. It didn’t seem like it. 

“Well, I bumped into one of them today. At the park. He was alone, so I wanted to talk to him, see what he was up to. He just looked so sad, standing by the river, skipping rocks all alone,” Minho said. With every word that came out of his mouth, his breathing began to grow a little more erratic. This time Jisung was there, though, reminding him to take deep breaths with his hand placed gently on top of Minho’s. Changbin couldn’t help but notice the energy Jisung created. It was warm, comforting. The complete opposite of whatever vibe Changbin gave off, surely. 

Minho continued after another breather. “I just wanted to know why he kept coming back to the bar, because I mean, you’d think he’d give up after getting shot down so many times, but he hasn’t, he just keeps coming back. With Jeongin, he always brings Jeongin. Oh, his name is Seungmin, by the way.” His speech was slurred and very rushed, causing Changbin and Jisung to glance at each other with concern. “But anyways, I asked him, and he said,” Minho hiccuped, “he said that . . .” He couldn’t continue, as he was once again crying into the palms of his hands. 

“Hey, hold on. Breathe.” Jisung grabbed onto Minho’s shoulders and steadied him, forcing him to look up. “Why don’t you sit here and calm down for a minute before you tell us what he said?” Minho nodded. “Alright. Changbin and I will be right over here.” Changbin perked up at the mention of his name, but followed Jisung over to the other end of the bar. 

“He’s clearly got some kind of attachment to those kids,” Jisung said. “You know anything about them?” 

“Just that they’re stubborn as all hell. I wish he’d calm down and tell us what the kid said, I’ve also wondered why they keep trying. Minho never shuts up about it.” Changbin crossed his arms and watched as Minho seemed to remember the drink in front of him and chugged the rest of it. 

“Okay. I’m ready,” Minho mumbled. The pair stepped back over towards him and he began again. “I asked him why he keeps coming back. It just didn’t make sense to me how he managed to get out of the house so late at night, y’know?” Sniffle. “And he said that . . . his parents would be grateful if he never came back.” Minho’s lower lip quivered as he spoke the last sentence, and before they knew it he was crying again. Not sobbing, fortunately, but a significant amount of tears were streaming down his cheeks.”

Changbin didn’t want to be the one to say it, but Jisung wasn’t doing it. They had to get out of there before Chan tore their heads off. “Okay, but . . . what about it?” Jisung gave him a look like he’d just punched a kitten, to which Changbin responded by raising his hands in defense. In that moment, both of them went to touch Minho’s arm. Jisung got there first, so before Changbin could stop himself, his hand rested on top of Jisung’s. They both lurched back so fast they tugged on Minho’s arm. “Sorry, sorry about that,” Changbin muttered. He said it to Minho, but he was directing it more towards Jisung, really. 

Jisung bit down on his bottom lip before tearing his eyes from Changbin and returning to his crying coworker. “Minho, I hate to be blunt about it, but what  _ do  _ his parents have to do with it? Is that what made you upset?”

Minho nodded. “I guess I hadn’t really noticed while it was happening, but I started to care about them. A lot. To the point where it felt like. I don’t know. Like they were my kids. So to find out that Seungmin has a terrible home life, it just completely devastated me. I just want to help him. Get him out of there.” 

Changbin’s eyes widened with understanding. He frowned. Sure, it sucked that the kid had bad parents, but what could Minho do about it? He’d rather his friend didn’t worry about it, in all honesty. But at the same time, he admired Minho’s selflessness. It was just one more thing for him to envy about his friend. 

As Minho continued to tell his story, Chan eventually came downstairs, ready to leave. He paused when he saw the three of them sitting at the bar. “Why are you still here?” 

Jisung stiffened at the sound of his voice. He stood up straight and regarded their boss with feigned indifference. “Minho had to talk to us about something. We can lock up. Just give Changbin the key if you don’t trust me.

Chan’s eyes shifted to Changbin, who was shooting bullets at him with his eyes. “And I’m supposed to trust him? Why?” 

“For fuck’s sake, Chan, what the fuck are we gonna do to your shitty bar? Give me the key and I’ll lock up, none of us give a shit what happens to this place but we’re not gonna go out of our way to wreck it. No one has time for that,” Changbin said. Chan gave them a once-over before tossing the keys at Changbin with no real concern for if it was a good toss or not. It wasn’t. Changbin still caught them. 

Chan walked to the door and stopped, holding onto the doorway with one hand. “See you tomorrow,” he muttered without looking back. He walked out and crossed the street to where his car was parked, got in, and drove away. 

“I think we should get you home, Minho. It’s late, the best thing for you to do right now is get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up your head will be a little clearer. Look, here’s my number.” Jisung pulled out his notepad and pen, scribbled down his number, and handed it to Minho. “I’d assume you already have Changbin’s. You can call him or me when you wake up and we’ll be willing to talk to you about anything. Right?” 

Changbin quickly nodded before realizing Minho wasn’t looking at him. “Ah, yeah, of course. He has my number.” 

Minho sniffled and grabbed the piece of paper from Jisung. “Thank you guys. I’ll pay you for the drink, Jisung. Don’t want to give Chan a brain tumor.”

“Don’t worry about it. Changbin can cover it.” 

“Huh?”

Jisung smacked the bouncer’s hand, shutting him up. “Do you need one of us to walk you to your car?”

“Nah. Thank you. Seriously, I can’t thank you guys enough.” Minho smiled at them. “Especially you, Changbin, that breathing thing probably stopped me from going into cardiac arrest a few times.”

Changbin shrugged. “It’s just what I tell myself when I’m at the gym. Gotta breathe properly.” 

They laughed at that, Jisung shaking his head as he chuckled. 

Jisung and Changbin saw Minho off, waving goodbye when he walked out of the building. “Shouldn’t you be going, too? I’ll close up, you don’t have to watch over me or anything,” Changbin half-joked. He wasn’t sure if Jisung telling Chan to let Changbin lock up was part of some elaborate ruse to get him fired or something like that. He was paranoid like that. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not here for you. I’ve got some more cleaning to wrap up. So I guess you’re the one who’s waiting for me.” 

Changbin nodded and it may have just been Jisung’s eyes playing tricks on him, but he looked a little disappointed.  _ Probably because he doesn’t want to wait around,  _ Jisung thought to himself.  _ Definitely that.  _

The bouncer made quick work of getting his stuff out of the back room, coming back downstairs and promptly sitting in a booth in the middle of the bar. Jisung went about his business, wiping down the countertop and organizing the various cocktail shakers that were used that night. He couldn’t get rid of the feeling of eyes on the back of his neck. He thought about the look on Changbin’s face, how there had been something different in his eyes, almost like . . . longing. 

God damn it.

“Hey, uh,” Jisung began after arguing with himself. “That was cool. The way you handled that and stuff.” Changbin was staring at him blankly. The silence hanging over them was palpable, Jisung wanted to grab it out of the air and snap it in half. “I just. I’ve never seen that side of you. It was nice. You should let it out more often.”

“Are you saying I should be nicer? Because that’s the same shit Chan said to me.”

Jisung panicked. “No, wait, that wasn’t what I meant at all.”   
  


“I’m kidding. I know. Thank you, though, I was pretty proud of myself. You weren’t half bad yourself. Except for that bit about me covering the drink, that is.”   
  


“Yeah. About that.” Jisung sighed. He knew exactly why he had done that, and he’d planned the very next thing he was about to say. Now it was just a matter of getting his vocal chords and mouth to cooperate. “You’re cool, I guess. I’d like to see more sides of you that I don’t know about. Get to know you, as the kids say. The drink was just to make up for the shitty stuff you’ve done before.” 

Changbin was completely caught off guard. Out of all the things he’d expected to hear from Jisung that night, that wasn’t even the last thing on the list. Because it wasn’t on the list. However, the fact of the matter was, Changbin felt the same. He wanted to make things up to Jisung, treat him like the genuinely good person that he had only now realized he was. So if this opportunity was presenting itself to him, he wasn’t about to let it pass by. “Yeah. That’d be cool.”

Jisung nodded. “Great. That’ll be eight dollars.”

“For one fucking gin and tonic?!” 

“You’ve worked at this bar for how long and don’t know how much our drinks cost?”

“You got me there,” Changbin mumbled as he pulled out his wallet in the most playfully disgruntled way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt @byeoIbin (capital i, not lowercase L) and stream gods menu for good health


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is so much longer than i thought it'd be ???? anyways its kind of a Franken chapter i wrote it over the course of multiple days so if it seems a little all over the place that's why lmao

If there had been any tension between the bar employees, it completely disappeared after Minho’s therapy session with Changbin and Jisung. Of course, Minho and Felix weren’t quite sure why, but it seemed like there had never been any bad blood between the bouncer and the bartender to begin with. The energy in the workplace felt so much more lively. It was almost like they didn’t entirely hate the idea of being there.

Jisung hummed to himself as he slid his pen behind his ear and moved to start making the orders he’d just taken. For the first time in a long time his mind was at ease. No running thoughts, no second guessing. Just him, his focus on his work, and the song that was playing from the radio over to his left. Tonight was the first time since around the time the bar first opened that he had turned the radio on. It wasn’t that he wasn’t allowed to, it was just that Chan had complained about it to him once when he was driving him home and it had stuck with Jisung ever since. Due to obvious reasons, Chan’s complaints were no longer any concern of his. He did have something else on his mind, though, and was reminded of it as soon as he saw Minho walk by. 

The night was going fine for Changbin as well. He’d been bringing his headphones outside with him ever since the radio stopped playing inside the bar, way back when. There was no need to now, though, and he was pleasantly surprised by Jisung’s taste in music. Well, more like his taste in radio stations. 

Changbin subtly nodded his head to the music as he let people into the bar. It was still winter, so he wasn’t any more thrilled to be outside than before. It just wasn’t putting as much of a damper on his mood as before. He even smiled a little at Minho when he walked outside.    
  


“That was weird. Don’t do that again. Anyways, I’ve got a message for you,” Minho said with indifference. 

“A message?” The bouncer asked. He instantly felt his shoulders slump as he realized it would probably be Chan bitching about some new protocol or something. He’d taken to changing bar policy lately, as if it really mattered how they ran an establishment full of drunk people. 

“Yeah. From Jisung.” Minho sighed, and something about the tone of his voice made him sound like a grade schooler being forced to apologize to their classmate for stealing a pencil sharpener. “He says ‘Hey’ and wants to know how work is going for you.” 

  
  


Changbin blinked at him. “Wait, what do you mean? Like—like he said that to you, or?” 

“No, stupid, he wants a response from you. And soon, I’d imagine.” Minho pointed at a nonexistent watch on his wrist. 

“Oh. Um. It’s going fine. What about him?” Changbin said hesitantly. His coworker merely rolled his eyes and walked back inside, leaving him to wonder what the hell had just happened. Why was the only thing occurring to him that he was on a prank show? Surely someone would jump out right then and there and tell him there were 12 hidden cameras in the surrounding area, all pointed towards him. Because there was no way, absolutely  _ none, that _ Jisung would send Changbin a message via Minho. 

If only that was true. For Minho’s sake, of course. 

An hour passed where Minho had no choice but to walk back and forth relaying messages between the two. It only got a little bit easier once he realized complaining about it would get him nowhere and joined in on the conversation. He’d throw his two cents in about whatever Changbin and Jisung were talking about, much to their dismay, only for them to basically ignore everything he said. It was just plain disrespectful if you asked him. 

“Okay. Enough. This needs to stop before my legs give out. Give me a closing statement so he can respond one last time and I can come back in here and have a drink,” Minho said as he leaned down against the counter. 

“Um, I can’t give you drinks during work hours,” Jisung whispered. Minho looked up to glare at him. “Okay, alright, whatever you say. It’s not coming out of my paycheck if Chan comes down here, though.” 

“Jokes on you. Since you got him to give us raises if he takes anything out of my paycheck it’ll just feel like I’m back down to my old wages.”

Jisung narrowed his eyes. “Wait, how’d you—” he stopped himself. He thought back and remembered the moment he stepped out of Chan’s office after their argument. Hadn’t Changbin been right there to ask him what he’d been talking about with Chan? A knowing grin crept onto Jisung’s face as he finally came to a conclusion. “You know what, you’re right, the joke  _ is  _ on me.” 

  
  


Minho raised one of his eyebrows at him. “Yeah . . . anyways, what’s that final message?” 

“Oh, right. Tell him I want to know if he’s free on our day off,” the bartender said very nonchalantly. 

“Woah, wait a sec. Are you trying to ask him on a date?” 

All the color flooded to Jisung’s cheeks. “No! Jesus, why is it always dates with you people?” he exclaimed, glancing over to Felix who was mouthing something along the lines of “I said the same thing!” 

“Oh, excuse me, my bad for assuming all of this was flirting which led up to you two going on a date. Because you know, people totally make their coworker become a messenger for their little conversations when they’re  _ just friends.  _ But that’s just me! I am just saying.” Minho continued to ramble to himself as he stood up and walked back outside. 

“Hey, what’d he say?” the bouncer asked as he was handed an ID. 

“He wants to know if you’re free on Tuesday because he wants to go on a date with you. Please give me a prompt response so that I can stay inside and have a drink.” 

Changbin raised his eyes to skeptically look at Minho. “Yeah, right. Tell him I can’t actually, I’ve got a meeting with the president,” he scoffed. 

“Alright, if you say so.” Minho began to turn around but was stopped when Changbin grabbed his arm. 

“Wait, he actually asked that?” 

“Gee, what made you realize, genius? Yes he actually asked that, why would I lie to you about that? I’m just as shocked as you, frankly.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

“That’s because I was lying about that. Not the other part, though, he definitely is asking you out.” 

  
  


Changbin ran a hand through his hair and smiled. Not from joy or excitement, but more out of incredulity. “So he used those exact words? Like he said it’s a date?” 

Minho shrugged and refused to meet his friend’s eyes. “I might have exaggerated a bit. Let’s just say all I know for sure is that he asked if you’re free on Tuesday.” He began to twiddle his thumbs as he looked at the ground, the sky, anywhere but Changbin’s face, really. 

“Oh. So it’s not a date?”

“Damn it, Changbin, I don’t know! It definitely seems that way to me, don’t you think? Now just give me an answer in your own words so I can get a drink, because I already know you  _ are  _ free and you totally  _ aren’t _ coming over to my place anymore!” Minho exploded, throwing his hands up in exasperation as his eyes finally bored into Changbin. He still didn’t look like he was getting it. “Jesus, fuck, I really have to do everything around here,” Minho muttered to himself. “Okay, look. This whole thing—” he pointed back and forth between Changbin and Jisung “—is flirting. You know what usually comes after flirting is someone asking the other person out on a date. Now Jisung didn’t say that was what this was but I’ve been alive longer than you two, so I know when something is what I think it is, and this is a proposal for a date. So what. Is your answer?” 

Changbin stared at Minho, eyes wide as saucers. “Okay.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, okay, I’m free on Tuesday and would like to go on a date with him.” 

“Perfect.” Minho immediately turned on his heel and walked back inside.

“Wait, you’re not gonna tell him i said it’s a date, are you? Minho?!” 

* * *

The sun was beginning to duck behind the hills when Changbin looked in the mirror for the final time after getting ready for his date with Jisung. Not that it was a date. Or maybe it was? Jisung had neither confirmed nor denied, primarily because Changbin hadn’t asked for confirmation out of fear that he would make things awkward. The black-haired male stared at his reflection, his eyes traveling up and down his entire body. “I told you I wouldn’t disappoint,” Minho said from behind him. He was lying on Changbin’s bed and flipping through a book that Changbin had surely bought just to look like a real adult, but he could see him checking himself out in his peripheral vision. “I’m a fashion icon, a star of our generation.” 

Changbin rolled his eyes as he adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. “Whatever. I told you you didn’t have to come help me. It’s a casual hang-out, not a candlelit dinner. I could’ve pulled something together myself,” he insisted, though as he looked in the mirror he had to give it to Minho; he’d done a good job. At first Changbin saw the blazer Minho intended to put him in and panicked, thought it was too much for the casual attire he and Jisung had agreed on, but somehow it came together just fine with his dark wash jeans and white tee underneath. He looked like a modern day CEO. 

“Bin, what did I tell you about the term ‘casual hang-out?’ Huh? It’s bullshit, everyone knows what you mean when you say that.”

“And that is?”

Minho looked up at him like he had just made a stupid joke. “That you’re both in denial and will probably fuck by the end of the night.” 

Changbin spun around so fast he almost twisted an ankle. “Woah! What the hell, dude, would you chill out? If I said it’s something casual, then it’s something casual. What ever happened to guys being dudes?”

The elder raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Seriously? Have you  _ seen  _ Jisung? He’s relentlessly gay. That kid wouldn’t know the first thing about guys being dudes, he’s not like you. Besides, it was a joke. I don’t think you guys are gonna fuck. Don’t know why you got your panties all in a bunch over it,” Minho said under his breath, returning to the book. 

“Because,” Changbin began as he went to sit at the foot of his bed, “that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m trying to avoid. It makes my skin crawl to think about it.” 

Minho sat up. “Why? Wait, do you actually not like him like that? Like this is actually just you two hanging out?” His eyes were trained on his friend, looking for tells in his expression that would give him a glance into what was going on in his head. Distressed was a generous term to describe the look on Changbin’s face. 

After quite a few seconds of hesitation, Changbin spoke. “No,” he admitted with a sigh. “No, it’s not that . I  _ do _ like him, alright? You were right.”

“Then what’s the problem?” 

Changbin began to crack each one of his knuckles individually, as he often did when his thoughts got the best of him. “It’s just that . . . Jisung is so nice. Probably the nicest person I’ve ever met.” Minho looked like he wanted to argue that for a second, but decided against it. “He’s all smiles and he just like, radiates joy, y’know? That’s why Chan found it so easy to take advantage of him and I don’t want to do that same thing.”

Confuse written on his face, Minho could do nothing but blink at him. “What makes you think you’re taking advantage of him?”

“It’s not that I’m doing it now. It’s that I might do it in the future. Minho, how many times did I clown Chan with you because of how stupid he sounded trying to get the affection of someone so much younger than him? Something he could so easily do because he was in a position of power above Jisung? And despite all that, here I am, about to go on a date with the very same kid I did nothing to protect. In fact, I hated him, for no good reason at all. I’m no better than that dumbass who sits upstairs all night while we work our asses off,” Changbin defeatedly said as he let himself fall backwards onto his unmade bed. He brought his hands up to his face and groaned. “He’s literally four years younger than me. I might as well be holding him at gunpoint and forcing him to go out with me.” 

Minho looked down at his friend with concern. He’d clearly been on edge the whole time he was getting ready, though Minho had just assumed he was nervous. He could have never imagined all of these feelings were bubbling up under the surface, just waiting for something to provoke him enough so they could come pouring out. “Hey,” he said softly, placing a hand on the other’s knee. “None of that is true and you know it.”

“But it is.”   
  


“No it isn’t. Look, no offense, but you’re in no position of power over Jisung. Well, I mean, I guess the age thing does create a power dynamic. But that’s not the point. Chan gave Jisung a job. And not just any job, a job that Jisung knew damn well he wasn’t allowed to have. But it made him feel like an adult. That’s what Chan did, he manipulated Jisung into thinking he saw him as an equal. That’s what sets you and Chan apart. You’re not just making him think he’s an adult, you’re assuring him that he is one. After all, he’s the one who asked you on this date.” 

Changbin peeked through his fingers at Minho. “How can you be so sure I’m not somehow just making him think we’re equals?” He said, his voice muffled by his palms. 

“That other day when you guys used me as a messenger, you bonded over how overrated Friends is as a show. I  _ know  _ you’re on the same level,” Minho scoffed. 

The younger male uncovered his face to reveal his lips curling up ever so slightly into the smallest smile Minho had ever seen. Changbin sat back up and the pair looked at each other in the mirror across from them. “You know four years isn’t even a lot. Especially when both of you are adults. It’d be weird if one of you was still a minor. Which reminds me of someone but . . . I just can’t put my finger on it,” the elder said while tapping his chin with his index finger, then laughing when Changbin shoved him to the side. They were sitting in mostly darkness now, since the sun had already set beyond the view of Changbin’s window. They could just make out their silhouettes in the dim light of the evening. Nonchalantly, Minho put his head back down on Changbin’s pillows and grabbed for the TV remote. “Could you leave already? I’m trying to take advantage of your cable box.” 

Changbin chuckled and shook his head before reminding Minho to lock up, and then he was out the door. 

* * *

Jisung had found it a bit odd that Changbin asked to meet up right outside the bar. Out of all places to go on their once-in-a-blue-moon day off, he chose their workplace. Jisung could only thank the stars that the place was locked up while Chan was away on vacation. He didn’t know much about Changbin, but something told him he shouldn’t put it past him to do something like take Jisung on a date at their workplace. What would they even do? Sit around and drink things that Jisung himself would have to make? No thank you. 

The light of the sun had long since faded away, leaving only the navy blue of the evening sky to be illuminated by streetlights and establishment signs. Jisung looked down at his phone anxiously, wondering where Changbin was. He wouldn’t stand him up, would he? 

Fortunately, just as that thought crossed his mind, Changbin was rounding the corner. He had been cursing himself the whole drive because of how late he was. Time flies when you’re having fun. Or, having deep conversations about your relationships with your friend Minho. 

At the last second, Changbin realized he hadn’t locked his car, so he turned around to lock it from a distance with his key fob. However what he saw when he finally made his way around the corner nearly made him turn right back around and leave. There, under the dim glow of a streetlight, Jisung stood. He looked stunning, to say the least, in a nice white tee shirt with a black long sleeve underneath, all tucked into ripped jeans and—what really had Changbin on the verge of panic—black fishnets underneath. He felt as if the air had quite literally been pulled from his lungs. It was strange, he thought, how the outfit was something that fit Jisung so well, so much so that he might even go as far as to say that he would expect something like it from him, yet it still rendered him speechless. 

He might have actually left, had his brain gotten the best of him. For once in his life he could be grateful that he tended to act before thinking, though. Changbin forced himself to regain his composure and approach Jisung. He startled him at first, which in turn made Changbin jump, too. But they laughed about it and Jisung breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to know he wasn’t alone. 

“Hey, sorry about that. And sorry that I’m late. I guess I’m just sorry about a lot of things,” Changbin joked tentatively. He still wasn’t sure what the relationship he and Jisung had was, but he wanted to make the most out of tonight that he could.

“You sure do end up apologizing to me for a lot of things. But don’t worry about it, I’m very forgiving,” Jisung replied with a grin. “So, um, what exactly did you have in mind for us to do? You sounded very sure of your plans when you told me to wait for you here at Zone.” 

“Yeah, actually that was just because I couldn’t think of anywhere else we could meet that we’d both know how to get to.”

Jisung stared blankly at him. “. . . You couldn’t just . . . come pick me up at my place?” 

  
  


The idea had occurred to Changbin, yes, but he didn’t want to ask in case that was too invasive for Jisung’s taste. Everything he’d thought of had been a direct result of him taking Jisung’s feelings into consideration. He figured it was the least he could do after not doing so for the past two years. 

“Uhh, no, I guess I didn’t even think of that,” Changbin lied. Maybe if this led to anything he’d have a funny story to tell in the future. “But it doesn’t matter now. We should get going if we want to get everything done tonight.” He smiled at Jisung and gestured for him to follow as he began to walk down the street where he’d parked his car. Jisung hurried to keep in stride with Changbin. They may have been the same height, but boy could that bouncer speedwalk. 

They ended up in downtown Seoul, walking through the streets and jumping into various stores that Jisung eventually ended up dragging Changbin into when he was least expecting it. The main goal Changbin had in mind was to eat a bunch of street food instead of going to some snooty restaurant where they’d be served tiny portions for ten times the price. It was just more fun this way, they got the sense of adventure that came with walking down the ever-populated streets as well as some good food. And eat they did. One food stand in particular caught Jisung’s eye, so of course he dragged Changbin over to it immediately. When they got to it Changbin saw that they were selling mini cheesecakes on a stick. Jisung explained to him that cheesecake was probably the number one thing he was always craving which was why they  _ had  _ to buy some. Obviously it wasn’t like Changbin would say no. They bought two for each of them and went on their way. Except, something was different. When Changbin tried to switch the hand with which he was holding his cake pops, he realized that Jisung had grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. 

“Sorry. Did you not want to do that?” Jisung went to let go of his hand, but Changbin quickly shook his head and tightened his grip. 

“No, it’s fine. This is good.” 

A shy smile crept its way onto both of their faces, and they turned away to hide them. Changbin could not believe any of this. Was he really blushing? How long had it been since he’d last felt this many butterflies in his stomach? Frankly he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this way at all. It was all so . . . upsetting. How could one person dominate his feelings like this? 

Hand in hand they walked to a nearby bench and sat down. The lights coming from all the different stores kept them well lit and even provided some warmth to clash against the chill of the March night. Despite that, they sat close together, as close as they could before one of them would have to sit on the other’s lap. 

“This isn’t as good as I was hoping it’d be,” Jisung said with a mouthful of cheesecake and a disappointed frown. Changbin had to stop himself from laughing so he wouldn’t choke on the bite he’d just taken. 

“Are you gonna finish it?” 

Jisung looked at the other cake pop still in his hand, untouched. He studied it closely for a second before shrugging and taking a bite out of it. That time Changbin did laugh. “Hey, I said it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, not that it wasn’t good at all.” 

They sat in silence while they ate their sweet treats. It was starting to get late, so there weren’t many people left walking around. That only made things better, as far as Jisung was concerned. He’d been enjoying the night with Changbin so far but he couldn’t help but wish they’d had a little more privacy. Now, as they sat in a usually populated area now close to deserted, he felt more comfortable. Like he could really talk to him. 

“You wanna know something funny?” Changbin said just as Jisung was about to open his mouth. He nodded, urging the elder to continue. “Minho was like, weirdly passionate about this being a date. He’d basically tear me a new one whenever I said it wasn’t.” 

Jisung quietly chuckled. “Felix was the same. I tried telling him that I just wanted to spend some time together and talk, but he wasn’t having it. I feel like if we hadn’t set this up ourselves they would’ve eventually taken matters into their own hands and pulled a fast one on us by locking us in a room together or something.” 

“Oh, totally. That sounds exactly like something Minho would do.” 

More silence. Jisung looked down at Changbin’s hand, resting on his own lap. He wondered if grabbing his hand would work a second time, or if the first time was just luck. “That is what this is, though, isn’t it?” The words left his lips before he could even think about them. It was as if they’d jumped straight from the back of his mind out into the world. He wanted to hide his face in his hands when Changbin looked right at him. 

“Yeah. I guess it is now,” he answered. Jisung decided to hesitate no longer. He reached down and turned Changbin’s hand over so he could slide his into it. The latter quickly latched onto Jisung and closed his fingers over his hand. Jisung noted how soft Changbin’s hands were. He didn’t look like the kind of person to have soft hands, yet there Jisung was, getting some first-hand insight into the velvety palms of Seo Changbin. If you’d told him a month ago that he’d be doing this, he’d probably laugh in your face and go tell Chan about it. 

Jisung’s eyes darted around for a moment, examining the surrounding area so as to ensure no one could listen in to what he had to say. He’d developed a sort of anxiety when it came to privacy and his freedom of speech. Although, there was something calming about holding Changbin’s hand that eliminated about half of that anxiety. “Can I ask you something kind of weird?” The blue-haired male said softly. 

“Sure. It can’t be weirder than the things Minho has said to me.” 

Jisung wanted to be lighthearted as well, but this was important. It was the one thing that had been on his mind for weeks now. And there was only person he could ask and get an answer that was at least close to the truth. He took a deep breath, reassured himself, then pressed on. “Why had Chan not . . . you know. Put the moves on me yet?” He instantly averted his gaze and focused on their intertwined hands. 

Changbin’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. “Um,” he said smartly. “Is that something you really want an answer to?” He wasn’t surprised to see Jisung’s fervent nod, that was for sure. “Okay. Well, the best way I can put it is this: he didn’t want to give it away.” 

“I don’t get it.”

“Listen, Jisung. I’ve known Chan for a while, and I know he seems like a total idiot at times but that’s really not the case. He’s smart. Incredibly clever. Like, could get away with murder smart. And, well, to put it simply, he probably would have soon. If you hadn’t turned on him he really would’ve done it, I bet. He sure sounded like he was going to. He knew he couldn’t do it immediately after you turned 19, it’d be too obvious what his intentions were. Although I don’t think that was really a point of contention anymore to be honest.” 

Changbin was being honest with him, Jisung could tell. It seemed like he was trying to phrase things in such a way that they wouldn’t be too direct so as to not shock Jisung. When it came to this topic, though, that was a little hard. A chill ran down his spine as he realized that he had just managed to wiggle out of Chan’s grasp. Had every single event transpired, say, a day later, maybe he wouldn’t be able to say that. 

Jisung gave a much less enthusiastic nod of understanding. “What did he say?” 

“Sorry?”   
  


“What did Chan say? You said he sounded like he was ready to. What did he say that made you think that?” 

Changbin wasn’t sure it was the best idea to keep talking about this anymore. In fact, he didn’t even think he knew how to answer that. “It was just a feeling,” he said, knowing he was only telling half the truth. His mind drifted back to the time Chan had implied he’d get Jisung to do the work for him. Changbin quickly shook the thought away. “Like I said, I’ve known him a while. I can tell when he’s up to something.” 

“Ah,” Jisung uttered. “Well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” He raised his eyes towards Changbin and smiled. “I have another question, though.” 

“Oh, Jisung, don’t do this to yourself—”

“No, it’s not about him. I mean, it kind of is. But not only him. It’s about you.”

Changbin furrowed his eyebrows together. “Go on.”

“I was just wondering why you still work at the bar. I know why I did before and why I do now. But what about you? I’d imagine it must be a living hell agreeing to work for someone you used to be so close with only for them to turn into a complete douche. So why stay?” Jisung began to drum his fingers on the back of Changbin’s hand. Every time he’d lift a finger he could see the skin under it go super pale for a second before the blood rushed back and it returned to Changbin’s natural skin tone. More like a red-tinted version of his skin tone, to be exact. It was pretty nippy out. 

The elder also looked down at their hands while he tried to come up with an answer. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about quitting in the past. There was no real reason for him to stay when it came down to it. He could say he didn’t want to leave Minho but if push came to shove he’d take Minho with him and they’d look for a new job together. So what was it? What was keeping him at that place he dreaded going to with every waking moment? 

A face suddenly popped into his mind. Blond hair, dark eyes, and the friendliest smile he’d ever seen. Changbin had his answer. 

“Chan. I’ve stayed for Chan.” 

That took Jisung by surprise. “What are you talking about, you hate him?”   
  


“I do, yeah. But I didn’t always. Honestly it wasn’t until recently that I decided I’d had enough of him. You were actually, uh, there for my um . . . outburst.”

Jisung nodded. He remembered. 

“It’s just he was my best friend for so long. Seeing him become what he is now felt like, I don’t know, a side effect? Like he’d just let the whole boss mentality get to him. I was sure it would wear off eventually and he’d go back to being the kindhearted, selfless guy I once knew him to be. But I guess the past two years have been too long for me to wait anymore,” Changbin said. 

“And I guess that’s partially my fault.” The blue-haired male leaned back into the bench and stared at the space ahead of him. “That all changed when he met me, didn’t it?”

Changbin didn’t want to admit it, but it was technically true. “Well, yeah, I guess. But it’s not  _ your _ fault. You got roped into this by him and he turned out to be a shitty perv hiding under the guise of a normal college grad. He changed completely of his own volition. You were like the key to unlocking his ugly side. So I mean technically you’re a hero. You’ve unearthed a criminal,” he said with a lighthearted tone. 

“Whoopee,” Jisung scoffed. “I try to run with the big dogs and pursue my dream of being a mixologist and instead I get preyed on.”

There was a sort of tension between them, like the kind between two friends; one who has just received the job offer of their dreams, and another who’s been told they have a month to live. It was heavy, uncomfortable. But it didn’t scare Changbin away. He just had to clear the air. “I’m sorry,” he began. “For everything. You should never have had to go through that and it’s such a big deal that you did. Especially when I watched the whole thing happen and told no one. My morals were called into question and all I did was look the other way and make you into the villain by accusing you of turning my best friend into a sex-hungry asshole.” Changbin let his head fall back onto the rear of the bench and looked up to the cloudy night sky. There wasn’t a single star in sight. He figured that was what he deserved for being so useless to Jisung: to never see a single star again. He could feel Jisung’s eyes boring into him and couldn’t bring himself to meet them. 

“Thank you for that. I accept your apology.” It was all Jisung had to say. Some part of his heart had always known that Changbin’s past resentment towards him came from a fear of losing his friend. Sometimes it made Jisung toss and turn at night, guilt-ridden for the pain he must’ve been causing Changbin. But it wasn’t about him. Jisung was a victim. He deserved that apology. And he was in a good enough place now to forgive him. 

Once Changbin found the courage to glance at Jisung, he found his gaze to be much softer than he’d expected. There was no anger on his face, no bitterness. Just acceptance and forgiveness. Everything about his face looked soft, really, not just his expression. Changbin let his eyes trace over the entirety of the younger’s face, from the way his bright blue hair fell over his forehead all the way down to the soft pink color of his lips. Changbin kept his eyes trained there for a moment, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Jisung. His face changed colors to compliment his lips as he quickly looked away and took a deep breath. “We should get going. It’s getting a little too cold for my liking.”

They made it back to the bar with ease, in the sense that there wasn’t much traffic at that hour. With respect to that moment they’d had on the bench? It was nearly impossible. Neither of them wanted to say anything about it, but it was all that was on either of their minds. That made for another very tense silence on the drive back. A different kind of tension. One Jisung hadn’t ever experienced without also feeling a sense of urgency to get out of the situation. It wasn’t like that this time, though. Not with Changbin. 

The bouncer walked the bartender back to his car. By that point the midnight breeze was bone-chilling. Changbin wanted to make sure Jisung was warm in his car as soon as possible. “I’ll stay with you while it heats up. You never know what could happen around these parts,” he reasoned. 

Jisung reached inside his car to put the key in the ignition, then shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms. “Thanks.” 

Changbin nodded, a little awkwardly, but it was all he could think to do. He did have something else on his mind, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to ask anymore. Their date was practically over, maybe Jisung just wanted to go home. Changbin bit down on his lower lip while internally debating opening his mouth to speak. In the end, his initial judgement did not prevail. “Earlier when you asked me why I still work at the bar,” he began, “you said you knew why you were still there. Can I ask you to elaborate on that?” 

“Oh. I completely meant to talk about that, actually. I must’ve gotten distracted,” Jisung said, his voice trailing off towards the end of the sentence. “Well, anyways. It’s because I want to look out for the rest of you guys. The whole raise thing was nice, sure, but how do I know Chan will hold up his end of the deal forever? Oh and, before you ask, yes I knew you were listening that day. At least, I put two and two together when I realized you were quick to come out of the back room and ask me what happened. Real smooth, by the way.”   
  


Changbin blushed a bit. He was so sure he’d pulled that off with ease. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “That was really cool of you, though. The raises thing. And you having our backs like that.” 

“I know,” Jisung said matter-of-factly. “But I didn’t want it to be about me. That’s why I told Chan to keep it between him and the rest of you, with no mention of me. I guess I can’t really blame you for telling Minho.”

“It slipped out, I swear.”

Jisung chuckled softly. “Speaking of Minho. He said anything about the kid to you since his outburst?”

“Not at all,” Changbin shook his head. “Honestly, knowing him, he’s definitely planning something. I just hope it isn’t terribly reckless. He has a hard enough time taking care of himself, y’know? How could he suddenly become responsible for some teenager, too?”

The younger male cocked his head to the side upon hearing that. “What do you mean? Is he alright?” 

“I mean he’s in good health. It’s just financial problems with him, really. That’s why he’s still at the bar. Well, that and I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s taking care of  _ me.  _ Minho’s very considerate to those around him. It’s not a surprise to me that he would latch onto a kid in trouble. And I’ve tried to offer him some help now and then but he always turns it down. I think he just wants to be the one to help others without receiving any help himself,” Changbin said. He looked across the street from where Jisung was parked, at the bar. Images of himself and Minho standing outside laughing about another one of his crazy stories flashed through his mind all at once. “I’d really like to help him,” he murmured, thinking out loud more than really intending to speak. 

Jisung eyed Changbin intently. He’d never seen him so deep in thought. It reminded him a lot of the night they calmed Minho down, sitting inside the bar that Jisung was now always so desperate to get away from. Maybe Changbin was more like Minho than he himself realized. Because the way he talked about the other bouncer opened Jisung’s eyes to the real him. Someone who deserved better, too. 

“What if we did?” The words left Jisung’s lips before he could even think about it. But it was alright. He knew exactly what he was getting at. 

Changbin looked back at him curiously. “How?” 

“I’ve got a plan. Would you mind coming home with me?” Jisung asked without considering how it sounded out of context. It was only when the bouncer’s face went beet red that he recognized his mistake. “Oh! No, not like that!” he exclaimed, now equally as flustered. “I meant, like, you follow me in your car. We talk for a bit about this. Then you go home. Or don’t. No, wait—”   
  


“Okay,” Changbin interrupted Jisung’s stuttering. “Let’s go, then. I’m freezing out here.” 

Jisung’s eyes widened. He nodded resolutely and reached behind him to open his car door again. “Alright. I’ll see you there.” 

He watched as Changbin smiled and hurried around the corner to his own car. As Jisung sat in the driver’s seat and planted his hands on the steering wheel, he couldn’t even find it in himself to feel embarrassed about his rambling from five seconds ago. The excitement bubbling in his chest was much more prevalent. He took a deep breath, his heart rate accelerating as a pair of headlights came into sight in his rearview mirror. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt you get the drill lmao @byeoibin

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twt @byeoIbin (that's a capital i, not an l), for updates on when the next chapters will be out :)


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